Advance polls closed at 9 p.m. today in two Toronto ridings and one in Quebec, marking the final opportunity for early voting ahead of Monday's federal byelections. The contests in University-Rosedale, Scarborough Southwest, and Terrebonne could deliver the Liberals a majority in the House of Commons, bolstering Prime Minister Mark Carney's minority government.

Prime Minister Carney announced the byelections on March 8 for April 13, following vacancies in all three Liberal-held seats. In University-Rosedale, former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland resigned on January 9 after accepting an economic advisory role with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Scarborough Southwest's seat opened February 2 when former Public Safety Minister Bill Blair became Canada's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. Terrebonne's vacancy stemmed from a Supreme Court ruling that annulled Tatiana Auguste's one-vote Liberal victory in the 2025 general election due to an Elections Canada printing error on mail-in ballot envelopes.

The Liberals entered the 45th Parliament with 169 seats after the 2025 election, three short of the 170 needed for a majority in the 338-seat House. Four Conservative floor-crossings since then boosted their tally to 170, but the resignations dropped it back, making these byelections pivotal. Retaining all three would push the party to 173 seats, providing a comfortable majority.

Polls have not been released for the byelections, but analysts view the Toronto ridings as Liberal strongholds. Both seats have been Liberal since 2015, with Freeland and Blair securing large margins in 2025. In University-Rosedale, family physician Danielle Martin carries the Liberal banner against Conservative Don Hodgson and NDP's Serena Purdy. Scarborough Southwest pits former Ontario NDP deputy leader Doly Begum for the Liberals against Conservative Diana Filipova and NDP incumbent candidate Fatima Shaban.

Terrebonne remains the focal point, pitting Liberal incumbent Tatiana Auguste against Bloc Québécois's Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné, who contested the razor-thin 2025 result. Conservative Adrienne Charles and NDP's Maxime Beaudoin also compete amid a crowded field of independents. Advance polls there drew long lines, with some voters waiting an hour.

A Liberal sweep would end reliance on opposition support for legislation, allowing Carney to advance priorities without NDP or Bloc negotiations. Conservatives and opposition leaders have criticized the timing, suggesting it manufactures stability. Yet party strategists predict holds in Toronto and a tight Terrebonne race.

Mail-in ballots must be requested by Tuesday, with results expected late Monday night. These outcomes could reshape the parliamentary balance just a year after Carney's Liberals formed government.