Carney on verge of Liberal majority government as votes cast in three by-elections

Wins in Toronto will be enough for Carney to clinch a narrow majority. But the prime minister has already been able to shore up his bench with five defectors - four former Conservatives and one member of the left-wing New Democratic Party. While it's not unusual for legislators to occasionally defect in Canadian politics, the recent rate of party-switching was "extraordinary", said Semra Sevi, a professor of political science at the Toronto" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="3554" data-entity-type="organization">University of Toronto. "Carney has built a big tent, attracting members of parliament who would not normally be associated with the Liberal party," Sevi told the BBC."The complication, however, is that the tent may now be so big that there isn't a lot of ideological coherence in it."Carney has been forced to defend the most recent floor-crosser, Marilyn Gladu, who was once seen as more socially conservative and who is "personally pro-life", though she said she supports access to abortion services.Gladu has said she will vote in line with the Liberals on such issues, and Carney has said the party's "values" have not changed. Polls suggest the Liberals are about 10 to 15 points ahead of the Conservatives, the official opposition, with Carney himself maintaining strong support among Canadians.The Liberals have taken a more politically conservative shift under Carney, especially compared to Trudeau, making the party more attractive to right-of-centre MPs. He has ended a number of signature Trudeau policies, including a consumer carbon tax, and is pushing to make Canada an "energy superpower" and reduce the public sector workforce.The wave of defections has angered Conservatives, who have accused the Liberals of "backroom deals".Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has called the floor-crossings "undemocratic" and has said that, by poaching MPs from other parties, Carney is telling those who elected them that "your vote does not count". But they have also raised concerns about frustration within the Conservative caucus under Poilievre, who just over a year ago was in serious contention to become the next prime minister before Carney surged ahead in the polls amid concerns about US-Canada relations under the Trump administration. There is dissatisfaction with Poilievre's leadership style and how remote the prospect has become that Conservatives will ever form a government under him, said Sevi.Canadian media have reported in recent days that a handful of other MPs are also being courted by the Liberals to cross the floor. On Saturday, as Liberals gathered in Montreal for a party convention, Carney closed out the event with a speech in which he pitched unity at a time the country faces a number of crises.