Ontario, Prairies blocked Liberals from an election-night majority blowout

Prime Minister Mark Carney arrives on stage at his campaign headquarters in Ottawa after the Liberal party won the federal election on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

OTTAWA — The Liberals rose from the ashes under Prime Minister Mark Carney but the party’s failure to sweep many of its targeted ridings last night denied it a resounding majority mandate.

A big part of that failure happened in Ontario, where the party lost many incumbents — even as Carney called for a strong mandate to deal with the threat posed by U.S. President Donald Trump.

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Abacus Data CEO David Coletto says the party fell short in Ontario, lost seats in the Greater Toronto Area and the York region and failed to break through in the Prairies.

At the same time, he says, the Conservatives performed much better than expected in those areas, where the cost of living and the price of housing remain major issues.

Carney opted not to hold a press conference the day after the vote but told reporters in French Tuesday morning in Ottawa that he’s feeling very good and energetic, with “lots to do, of course.”

Carney warned in his election-night speech that the coming days and weeks will not be easy as Canada returns to the challenge of convincing Trump to back away from his punishing tariff agenda.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 29, 2025.