Canada’s Liberal Party is just two seats away from a parliamentary majority after a dramatic recount in Quebec’s Terrebone riding gave them an unexpected win—by a single vote.
The recount confirmed Liberal candidate Tatiana Auguste received 23,352 votes, narrowly beating Bloc Québécois incumbent Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné, who finished with 23,351. This razor-thin result raises the Liberal Party’s seat count to 170 in the House of Commons. A total of 172 seats are needed for a majority government.
Under Canadian election law, recounts are mandatory when the vote margin is less than 0.1% of the total ballots cast. Although Auguste had initially been declared the winner after election day, the validation process showed her opponent had pulled ahead. It took a full judicial recount, overseen by Quebec Superior Court Justice Danielle Turcotte, to officially confirm the final outcome.
Recounts are still happening in three other ridings, meaning the overall balance in parliament could still shift. For now, the Liberals are inching closer to full control—an outcome that once seemed unlikely.
Earlier this year, the Liberal Party was widely expected to suffer heavy losses. But shifting public opinion, fueled in part by the return of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency and the trade disputes that followed, gave the Liberals a boost. The April 28 election ultimately became a contest over who Canadians trusted to manage cross-border relations during a tense time.
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberals were able to form a government, but initially fell three seats short of a majority. Now, with the Terrebone seat secured, they need only two more to govern without relying on support from other parties.
Currently, the Conservatives hold 144 seats, the Bloc Québécois has 21, the NDP has seven, and the Green Party has one. The final makeup of parliament now depends on the outcomes of the remaining recounts. Each result could shape how easily the Liberal government can pass laws and stay in power over the coming years.