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Prime Minister Mark Carney is on the precipice of a potential majority government, and three byelections next week will determine what happens next.
On April 13, federal byelections will be held in two Toronto-area ridings and one Montreal-area riding.
With the news on Wednesday morning of ex-Conservative Marilyn Gladu crossing the floor to the Liberals, Carney’s Liberals now hold 171 seats in the House of Commons — just one shy of the 172-seat majority threshold, which would be reliant on the support of the Speaker of the House of Commons.
If the Liberals win two of the three byelections, they will hold 173 seats, or 174 seats if they win all three byelections, which would let them pass legislation without needing to rely on the Speaker or on any other parties to support them.
Advance polls in the three ridings opened last Friday and closed at 9 p.m. Monday, but voters can still cast ballots at their local Elections Canada office before 6 p.m. Tuesday.
Here is a closer look at the byelections.
The byelections on April 13 are taking place in the ridings of:
- Scarborough Southwest
- University-Rosedale
- Terrebonne
The byelections follow a number of MP departures and controversial ballot counting.
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Former Liberal cabinet minister Bill Blair left his seat to become Canada’s high commissioner to the U.K. on Feb. 2, while fellow former cabinet minister Chrystia Freeland announced her resignation from the House of Commons on Jan. 7 to become an economic development adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Blair served as a Liberal MP for the Scarborough Southwest riding since 2015, while Freeland represented the University-Rosedale as a Liberal MP for the same amount of time.
In regard to the Terrebonne riding, Liberal candidate Tatiana Auguste is set for a rematch against Bloc Québécois candidate Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné.
Elections Canada had declared Auguste the winner over Sinclair-Desgagné by a single vote following the April 28 federal election.
However, Sinclair-Desgagné challenged the results after a supporter complained that she had tried to vote by mail using a special ballot that was never counted. She won her case at the Supreme Court of Canada on Feb. 13.
On Nov. 4, 2025, longtime Nova Scotia MP Chris d’Entremont became the first of the recent wave of MPs to cross the floor since the April 2025 federal election.
In a statement issued by the Liberal Party at the time, d’Entremont said the federal budget “hits the priorities I have heard most in my riding, to build strong community infrastructure and grow a stronger economy.
Michael Ma left the Conservative caucus on Dec. 11, joining Carney at the Liberal holiday party in Gatineau, Que., to be introduced as the Liberals’ newest members alongside d’Entremont.
Ma said Carney is offering “the steady, practical approach we need to deliver on the priorities I hear every day while door knocking in Markham—Unionville.”
He also added that this is a time for “unity and decisive action for Canada’s future.”
Ex-Conservative MP Matt Jeneroux crossed the floor to the Liberals on Feb. 18, saying in a letter posted to social media that he came to his decision after “several conversations around the dinner table” with his family since he announced his resignation in November as the MP for Edmonton Riverbend.
“After further reflection with my family, and conversations with colleagues and constituents, I will be continuing to serve in Parliament — and I will be working with Prime Minister Mark Carney as a part of his new government to help build our country’s strength as we face the challenges ahead,” he wrote.
Former NDP MP Lori Idlout followed suit less than a month later, becoming the first New Democrat to cross the floor.
“With new threats against our sovereignty and pressures on the wellbeing of people throughout the North, we need a strong and ambitious government that makes decisions with Nunavut — not only about Nunavut. The success of that work needs all of our voices,” Idlout said in a statement issued by the party.
Carney said in a December 2025 interview with Global News that those who decided to cross the floor were “attracted” to the work his government has been doing.
“I met with them. I met with them just at the end of what was the process,” he said of the MPs who have crossed the floor.
“But in those cases, they came to us. They were interested in, they were attracted by what the government is doing. This is a positive vote for the government, supporting the government at a crucial time for a country.”
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