TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Sunday called special elections for three districts that, if his party wins, would give the Liberals a majority government.
The prime minister announced that votes will be cast on April 13 in the Toronto-area districts of Scarborough Southwest and University-Rosedale and in the Montreal-area riding of Terrebonne.
The Toronto districts are considered to be safe seats for the Liberals, while Terrebonne is considered a toss up.
The Liberals currently have 169 Members of Parliament in the House of Commons, but they need 172 to secure a majority government, which would allow them to pass any bill without the support of an opposition party.
Three opposition Conservative Members of Parliament, Chris d’Entremont, Michael Ma and Matt Jeneroux, defected from their party to join the Liberals in recent months.
Jeneroux referenced Carney’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos as helping him decide to join the Liberals. Carney condemned economic coercion by great powers against smaller countries and received widespread praise and attention for his remarks, upstaging U.S. President Donald Trump at the gathering.
The Supreme Court recently nullified the Liberals' one-vote federal election win in Terrebonne after the Quebec-based Bloc Québécois candidate challenged the results when a supporter complained she tried to vote by mail using a special ballot that wasn’t counted.
If the Liberals do win all three by-elections, House of Commons Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia would still need to cast tiebreaking votes to ensure the government’s legislation passes.
Carney has moved the Liberals to the center since replacing Justin Trudeau as prime minister in 2025 and winning national elections.
FILE - Members of Parliament rise for a moment of silence in the House of Commons, on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa, Ontario, Feb. 24, 2026. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP, file)
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh’s police chief said Monday that diplomatic efforts are being made with India to arrange the handover of two suspects in the December killing of a Bangladeshi political activist that sparked protests across the country.
Authorities in India said Sunday that a special police team arrested two Bangladesh nationals, Faisal Karim Masud and Alamgir Hossain, during a raid in Bongaon, a city in the North 24 Parganas district of India's West Bengal state.
The two are suspects in the Dec. 12 shooting of Sharif Osman Hadi, who took part in the 2024 political uprising that ended former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule. Days after being shot in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, he was flown to Singapore for further treatment and died there Dec. 18.
An Indian court on Sunday ordered the two suspects to be held for questioning, the PTI news outlet reported.
Bangladesh Inspector General of Police Mohammed Ali Hossain Fakir said Monday that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was working to transfer the suspects through Bangladesh's extradition treaty with India.
Separately, Bangladesh’s junior minister for foreign affairs Shama Obaed said later Monday that the country expected cooperation from India on granting consular access and the subsequent extradition of the suspects. She said that consular access was necessary to confirm the identities of the suspects by Bangladeshi officials.
She said Bangladesh is waiting for response from India.
Hadi was a student leader and spokesperson of a youth group, Inquilab Mancha, which promoted cultural revolution in Bangladesh. His death sparked protests across the country. Furious protesters rallied in Dhaka and attacked the offices of the country’s two leading daily newspapers.
Hadi’s supporters blamed India and former Prime Minister Hasina for killing him. He had fiercely criticized India and Hasina, who fled to India after the mass uprising ended her rule in August 2024. Liberals in Bangladesh blamed Hadi for promoting radical views as he built a strong follower base among young people and Islamists.
Police in Bangladesh previously said they identified the suspects in the killing but they may have fled the country. Indian authorities said the men sheltered in the border area of Bongaon with the intention of crossing back into Bangladesh.
FILE - A fire engine arrives at the premises of The Daily Star newspaper after angry protesters set it on fire after news reached the country from Singapore of the death of a prominent activist Sharif Osman Hadi, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu, file)
FILE - Security forces stand guard at the entrance of nation's Parliament complex as people arrive to perform funeral prayers for leading Bangladeshi activist Sharif Osman Hadi, who died from gunshot wounds sustained in an attack in Dhaka earlier this month, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu, file)
