Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is celebrating three federal election victories for his Liberal Party, hot on the heels of his recent clashes with U.S. President Donald Trump over trade tariffs.
“Canada is being tested in a changing world, and Canadians are up for it,” Carney wrote on X. “We are buying Canadian, traveling Canadian. We are building our strength at home and diversifying our trading relationships abroad.”
The biggest win for Carney’s Liberals came in Quebec’s Chicoutimi-Le Fjord, which was previously held by an opposition Conservative MP Richard Martel, who stepped down last month after Carney appointed him to Canada’s Senate. Senators are appointed rather than elected in Canada.
The two other ridings voting—Beaches-East York in Toronto and North Vancouver-Capilano in British Columbia—were widely considered safe seats for the Liberals.
The elections were the first federal by-elections since his Liberal government took office, and the results mean the Liberals maintain their slim majority in the House of Commons, while also suggesting voters are backing Carney’s handling of the ongoing trade war with the U.S.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney tours a farm near Red Deer, Alberta, on Wednesday, July 29, 2026.
Six more byelections slated to take place in the coming months.
Newsweek contacted the Liberal Party of Canada via online form Monday for comment.
Mark Carney’s Approval Rating
Carney has enjoyed strong personal approval ratings as he has taken a harder line against Trump over tariffs and trade.
Carney was already popular before his latest clash with Trump. His approval rating rose 3 points to 60 percent last week, while a poll conducted during the same period showed most Canadians wanted a tougher approach to U.S. trade talks, days before the negotiations collapsed.
He has also won broad support from provincial premiers across party lines, including Ontario conservative Doug Ford, who has aggressively pushed back against Trump’s tariff threats, and Manitoba social democrat Wab Kinew, who said he’s “100%” behind Carney.
A Liaison Strategies federal tracker released last week found Carney’s approval rating had risen three points to 60%. His approval in Quebec was even higher, at 76%, according to the survey.
The numbers came as Carney was increasingly defining himself around his government’s response to Trump’s trade pressure.
Carney’s latest clash with Trump came after Canada walked away from trade talks with the United States following a dispute over tariffs. Carney has defended a tougher negotiating stance and pledged to respond to new U.S. tariffs.
Canadians Back A Tougher Approach
Polling suggests that position has wide public support.
A Léger survey conducted during the same period found 56% of Canadians wanted Ottawa to take a hard line in negotiations with the U.S. and make no further concessions, while 31% preferred a more flexible approach.
The timing of the byelection polling, however, makes it difficult to say whether the latest confrontation with Trump has directly changed voter behaviour.
The Poliwave survey in Chicoutimi Le Fjord was conducted before the latest breakdown in the Canada-U.S. trade talks. The Segma poll, reported after the breakdown, also showed a tight race between the liberals and Bloc Québécois.
That means Monday’s result could offer a useful political snapshot, but it will not by itself prove that Carney’s tariff strategy has boosted or damaged his popularity.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Matthew Cannon and Cristina Diciu.
Update 9/1/2026, 8:25 a.m. ET: This article has ben updated to reflect the result of the elections.
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