Your Canadian election questions answered, and what comes next
CBC
After a five-week sprint campaign, more than 19.5 million Canadians cast their ballots in the 2025 federal election, ultimately choosing to elect a Liberal minority government led by Mark Carney.
But how does Parliament work when there's a minority government, and what comes next for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and the NDP? Here's what you've been asking us, and what you need to know.
A minority government means none of the parties got more than 50 per cent of the seats in the House of Commons. That means the Liberals will need the support of at least one other party to pass legislation.
The Liberals won 169 seats, but they needed 172 for a majority (there are 343 seats in the House). Either the Bloc Québécois, who have 22 seats, or the New Democrats, who have seven seats, could give the Liberals enough support to pass legislation.
The Conservatives have 144 seats and could also vote with the Liberals on some measures, but they might be less likely to support the government on a regular basis.
While the Liberals only need three votes, MPs are expected to vote along party lines. In the history of Canada's Parliament, free votes are rare.
In the last Parliament, which also had a minority government, the NDP agreed to keep the Liberals afloat in exchange for legislative commitments on NDP priorities.
In September 2024, the NDP ended that agreement but continued to support the government on critical votes that, if lost, would have likely triggered an election. The seven New Democrats have not committed to pursuing a similar agreement.
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet told reporters on Tuesday he'd like to see a "truce in which the Liberals would refrain from being offensive" over immigration as well as Quebec's language and secularism laws that are being challenged in court.
Blanchet also said in French he does not see "any scenario happening other than collaboration" for a year or more.
Members of Parliament are typically affiliated with a federal party. But none of them are required to stay with that party for their entire term — they can switch their affiliation at any time, which is called "crossing the floor." It's rare, but possible.
Since the Liberals are only a few seats shy of a majority, they could try to invite a few NDP MPs to join them.
NDP MP-elect Jenny Kwan told CBC News on Tuesday that crossing the floor is "a very interesting thought" but argued "the best outcomes [have] been a minority government with the NDP holding the balance of power."
"New Democrats will be in the House of Commons bringing a strong voice representing everyday people. We will be there fighting for them," Kwan said.
There have been four collisions involving transport trucks in northwestern Ontario in three days, prompting renewed calls for action to address ongoing safety concerns along Highway 11-17.
Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives will huddle behind closed doors at a policy convention this weekend as some Tories question the party’s direction after nearly eight years in power.
The father of a three-year-old girl that was killed after being struck by a vehicle in Cambridge in mid-December says recent charges laid to the driver bring little comfort and relief.
The start of kindergarten can be a time of excitement or anxiety for parents, guardians and children — and also for Prince Edward Island's education officials as they try to staff schools appropriately.
Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corporation (NNC)’s proposed hydro project is facing some backlash in Pangnirtung.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre will take to the stage Friday for what could be one of the most important speeches of his political career as he tries to convince delegates at the party's Calgary convention to keep him in the job.
As his flight departed from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport en route to Kuwait via Istanbul, Canadian crypto fugitive Andean Medjedovic was unaware that his globe-trotting lifestyle would soon be halted.
One of the largest taxi companies in Toronto will be down to three wheelchair-accessible cabs by the end of March, as advocates and providers say the city is failing to support accessible taxi drivers.
As a deep freeze continues to envelop southwestern Ontario at the same time municipalities deal with a pressing shortage of road salt, there's a renewed focus on finding different ways to melt road ice.
Dave Lawson is a proud Canadian who has bumper stickers that say "Canada is not for sale." He's fed up with grocery products plastered with maple leaves and patriotic logos that turn out to be American imports.
The Town of Badger has issued an evacuation order for some residents as water levels on the Exploits River continue to rise.
The head of a national seniors' advocacy organization says protecting nursing home residents from sexual abuse is an important but challenging issue.
New data shows Winnipeg's fire-paramedic service fielded hundreds of reports involving the city's homeless population, but one advocate says she expects that number to go down in light of the city's limits on where encampments can be.