Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced that federal byelections will be held on April 13 in three ridings two in Toronto and one in Quebec raising the possibility that the governing Liberal Party of Canada could secure a majority in the House of Commons.
The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed the decision on March 8, stating that voters in the ridings of University Rosedale and Scarborough Southwest in Toronto, along with Terrebonne in Quebec, will head to the polls to choose their new Members of Parliament.
If the Liberals win all three seats, their strength in the House of Commons would rise to 172 seats the threshold required to form a majority government.
The Toronto riding of University Rosedale became vacant after former Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland stepped down in January to accept a role as an adviser to the Ukrainian government. The Liberal Party has nominated family physician Danielle Martin as its candidate for the upcoming contest.
Meanwhile, the Scarborough Southwest seat was left empty when Liberal MP and former cabinet minister Bill Blair resigned on Feb. 2 following his appointment as Canada’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
Soon after the resignation, the Liberals named Doly Begum, previously a New Democratic Party member of the Ontario legislature, as their candidate for the byelection.
Both Toronto ridings are widely regarded as strongholds for the Liberal Party, making them favourable battlegrounds for the governing party.
The contest in Terrebonne is expected to be far more competitive. According to polling aggregator 338Canada, the riding is considered a close race between the Liberals and the Bloc Québécois.
The seat became vacant after the Supreme Court of Canada overturned the results of the April 2025 election. In that vote, Liberal candidate Tatiana Auguste was initially declared the winner by just one vote over Bloc MP Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné.
However, the Bloc challenged the outcome after reports surfaced that a voter’s mail-in ballot supporting Sinclair-Desgagné had been returned due to a misprint on the return envelope. The court ultimately ruled that the election result could not stand, triggering the need for a fresh vote.
The Liberal Party currently holds 169 seats in the House of Commons. With three seats needed to reach the 172-seat majority mark, the April byelections could significantly strengthen the party’s position in Parliament.
The party’s seat count has fluctuated in recent months. Floor-crossings by former Conservative MPs including Chris d’Entremont, Michael Ma, and Matt Jeneroux temporarily boosted Liberal numbers. However, the resignations of Freeland and Blair, along with the court decision in Terrebonne, reduced the party’s tally before it returned to 169 seats.
Elections Canada confirmed that local election offices in all three ridings are now open. Voters will be able to cast ballots on election day, April 13, or take advantage of advance voting between April 3 and April 6.
Electors can also vote early at Elections Canada offices until April 7 or request a mail-in ballot.
The upcoming byelections are expected to draw close national attention, as their results could determine whether the Liberals secure a stable majority government or continue governing without one.
