Michael Higgins: Beware an unchecked Mark Carney

Prime Minister Mark Carney addresses supporters at his campaign headquarters on election night in Ottawa, on April 29, 2025. Photo by Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press

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The temptation for Prime Minister Mark Carney to secure a majority government, even a slim one cobbled together with disgruntled floor-crossers, is strong, because it will give him the power to do as he pleases. If the constraints of a minority government are eliminated, the danger is that Carney will forget that the Liberals were elected with only 43.8 per cent of the vote and begin to govern as if the whole country was behind him.

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He is certainly on a roll. He has wrapped himself in unapologetic patriotism, poked fun at U.S. President Donald Trump and heralded a new age for Canada. “We are masters of our destiny,” Carney said at the Liberal convention on Saturday.

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Some have suggested that Carney is regarded as a wartime leader rallying the country behind a unity government. But Carney should take note of a line from his own book, “Value(s)”: “Humility is recognizing that there will be surprises.”

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The Liberals won all three byelections Monday. Votes were held in in University—Rosedale, former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland’s old riding, Scarborough Southwest, where ex-defence minister Bill Blair sat, and the Quebec riding of Terrebonne. That last riding was won by the Liberals by just one vote in 2025, a result that was contested and the Supreme Court ordered a redo.

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With 174 seats, the Liberals will not have to rely on the Speaker’s vote.

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This is a remarkable achievement for Carney. His predecessor, Justin Trudeau, won a majority in 2015 on glib words and glamorous looks, but was never able to achieve that success again.

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In 2025, Carney was also shut out of a majority. But since November, the prime minister has managed to entice five MPs from other parties — four Conservatives and one NDP — to cross the floor and join his caucus.

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Scott Reid, the former communications director to ex-Liberal prime minister Paul Martin, told the Guardian that the Trump effect has been driving Carney’s success.

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“Trump gave rise to Carney and his unique talents,” Reid told the British newspaper. “Now, we’re watching another effect of Trump on our politics: a desire for stability. The perception is Carney is a wartime leader. And in so many respects, what we’re watching is the quietest assembly of a union government we’ve ever witnessed.”

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A wartime leader suggests the whole country is behind Carney, which is not the case, although his anti-Trump rhetoric and jibes at the U.S. president are always greeted with howls of glee from the faithful.

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On Saturday, Carney highlighted how great it was that Canadians were boycotting all things American.

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“Canadians are demonstrating just how strong we are. It started quietly, people choosing a wine from the Okanagan over one from California. Anyone had any bourbon recently? A family planning a vacation to Prince Edward Island instead of booking flights to Florida. Canadians are rediscovering our country,” he said.