Canada’s Carney Calls 3 By-Elections, Eyes Liberal Majority

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced that three important by-elections will take place on 13 April, races that could potentially secure a majority government for his Liberal Party.

Two of these by-elections will be held in Toronto, in constituencies long considered strongholds for the Liberals, while the third will take place in a Montreal suburb, a riding that was won by the Liberals by just one vote in the last election. Analysts say that if the Liberal Party wins all three seats, Carney’s government would achieve a narrow majority, allowing him to pass legislation more easily and potentially avoid a federal election for another three years.

Current Parliamentary Standing

The Liberal government currently holds 169 seats in the House of Commons, just three seats short of a majority. Carney’s push toward a majority has been aided by recent defections of three former Conservative MPs who have crossed the floor to join the Liberals, strengthening the party’s position in parliament.

The Toronto By-Elections

The two Toronto seats up for grabs became vacant after Chrystia Freeland and Bill Blair resigned. Freeland stepped down after taking on a voluntary advisory role to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, while Blair was appointed Canada’s envoy to the United Kingdom.

• Freeland’s former seat, University-Rosedale, and

• Blair’s former seat, Scarborough Southwest

have both been Liberal-held since 2015, making them relatively safe seats for Carney’s party.

The Montreal Contest: Terrebonne

The third by-election, in Terrebonne, a suburb of Montreal, is drawing close attention. This riding had been a Bloc Québécois stronghold since 2015, but in 2025, it narrowly flipped to the Liberals by just one vote.

The Supreme Court of Canada ordered a re-election in Terrebonne after a Bloc candidate raised concerns about a mail-in ballot misprint that prevented a Bloc supporter from voting.

The by-election will be a rematch between:

• Tatiana Auguste, Liberal candidate, and

• Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné, Bloc Québécois candidate

The Liberal Party has already started its ground campaign, making calls and knocking on doors to secure voter support in the Montreal suburb.

Opposition Reaction

The Liberals’ recent gains have been bolstered by several former Conservative MPs switching allegiance, a move that the Conservative opposition has criticized as undemocratic. Conservatives have accused the Liberals of pressuring opposition MPs to join their ranks.

Recent polls indicate that if a general election were held today, the Liberals could secure a majority government, making the upcoming by-elections critical for Carney’s political strategy. Winning these three seats would not only give the Liberals a majority but also reinforce their dominance in Toronto and their growing influence in traditionally Bloc-held areas like Terrebonne.