OTTAWA — Voters head to the polls today in three federal byelections widely expected to grant Prime Minister Mark Carney a majority government.
Two are Liberal strongholds in Toronto, while the third is a tight race in the Montreal suburb of Terrebonne between the Bloc Québécois and the governing party.
The byelections were called to replace Liberal MPs Bill Blair and Chrystia Freeland in the Toronto ridings, and after the courts overturned Terrebonne’s election result from last year — which the Liberals won by just one vote.
The Supreme Court of Canada annulled the Terrebonne result due to a clerical error on the return address for some mail-in ballots.
The Liberals stand at 171 seats in the House of Commons after attracting five opposition MPs to cross the floor. The floor crossings began in October with Nova Scotia MP Chris D’Entremont leaving the Conservatives for the Liberals.
He was followed by Toronto-area MP Michael Ma and Edmonton MP Matt Jeneroux.
Lori Idlout, the lone Nunavut MP, left the NDP for the government benches last month.
Marilyn Gladu, a four-term Ontario Conservative MP, shocked political watchers last week with her defection to the Liberals.
Gladu has been a strong critic of the government’s use of the Emergencies Act to end the “Freedom Convoy’s” occupation of downtown Ottawa and more recently the government’s anti-hate bill, C-9, due to concerns about religious liberties.
Carney needs 172 MPs for a technical majority, but 173 to effectively govern with one.
Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia, a Quebec Liberal, only votes in the case of a tie. If the Liberals only have 172 seats then they would have the same number of votes as the opposition.
In events where the speaker votes, they historically maintain the status quo in the spirit of neutrality. This means the speaker is unlikely to vote in favour of new legislation, but would support the government on a confidence vote.
If the Liberals secure a majority, they would also be able to change the standing orders of the House to also have control of committees. Currently, the Bloc has the deciding vote on committees with the Liberals and Conservatives having the same number of voting members.
Both University—Rosedale and Scarborough Southwest are considered safe seats for the Liberals, making a Carney majority a likely scenario.
Both the Liberals and Bloc have been putting out a full-court press in Terrebonne. That riding saw nearly 20 per cent voter turnout in the advance polls.
Polls open at 8:30 a.m. and close at 8:30 p.m. local time.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 13, 2026.
The Canadian Press
