Advance polls close Monday in three federal byelections that could affect Liberal seat count

Advance polling stations in three federal byelections in Ontario and Quebec are set to close at 9 p.m. Monday, according to Elections Canada, with voting continuing at local Elections Canada offices until 6 p.m. Tuesday.

The byelections, scheduled for April 13, were called last month for the Toronto-area ridings of Scarborough Southwest and University–Rosedale, and the Montreal-area riding of Terrebonne. Voters in all three ridings also have the option to apply to vote by mail before Tuesday.

According to Elections Canada procedures, the Terrebonne byelection follows a Supreme Court decision that nullified the previous federal election result by a single vote. The Bloc Québécois challenged the outcome after a supporter said her mail-in ballot was not counted.

The two Toronto seats became vacant after former Liberal MPs left their positions. Chrystia Freeland stepped down from University–Rosedale to serve as an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and to lead the Rhodes Trust, while Bill Blair vacated Scarborough Southwest after being appointed Canada’s high commissioner to the United Kingdom.

The Toronto ridings are widely considered Liberal strongholds, while Terrebonne had been held by the Bloc Québécois prior to the last election. Based on current seat counts, Liberal victories in both Toronto ridings would bring the party to 172 seats in the House of Commons, the threshold typically associated with a majority.

However, parliamentary procedure means the Speaker does not usually vote, so a 172-seat total may still require support or abstention from at least one opposition MP to pass legislation. As a result, the outcome in Terrebonne is expected to play a key role in determining the government’s working majority.