Canada's Liberals Sweep Three By-Elections as Carney's Anti-Trump Stance Wins Voters

Canada's Liberal Party swept all three special parliamentary elections held on Monday, a result widely seen as a public endorsement of Prime Minister Mark Carney's firm handling of the trade dispute with the United States.

The Canadian Press projected Liberal victories in the districts of Chicoutimi-Le Fjord in Quebec, Beaches-East York in Toronto, and North Vancouver-Capilano in British Columbia.

The most striking outcome came in Chicoutimi-Le Fjord, a Quebec riding held by the opposition Conservatives since 2018. Liberal candidate Daniel Gobeil was projected to win decisively in a region home to aluminum producers, dairy farms, and other industries hit hard by the escalating trade war. "This victory means we can maintain Canadian unity all across the country," Gobeil said.

The other two seats had been previously held by the Liberals. In British Columbia, Braeden Caley, a former deputy chief of staff to Carney, won in North Vancouver-Capilano.

Liberal lawmaker Hedy Fry told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., "The United States is getting a message tonight. Our leader has the support of the Canadian people."

The elections come after U.S.-Canada trade talks collapsed on August 21, prompting Washington to impose 50% tariffs on roughly $20 billion in Canadian goods. Ottawa has responded with plans for retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products.

Since the breakdown, President Donald Trump has intensified his rhetoric, signing an executive order to rename Lake Ontario as "Lake America." U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent argued on Monday that Canada has limited leverage because the U.S. economy is about 13 times larger. Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of making Canada the 51st state.

Carney, who won last year's general election on a wave of anger over Trump's annexation threats, has accelerated efforts to deepen economic ties with Europe and other partners. The by-election sweep would bring the Liberals to 173 seats in the 343-seat House of Commons, strengthening their position in Parliament.

The special elections were triggered by the resignations of the three previous lawmakers earlier this year.