Your Canadian election questions answered, and what comes next

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.