Final day of byelection campaigning before vote

It’s the final day of campaigning in a trio of federal byelections before voters go to the polls on Monday.

Even though the Liberals are widely expected to win a majority by retaining two Toronto-area seats, the pressure is still on for them to fight to win the hotly contested Terrebonne riding.

The Liberals have been pulling out all the stops to hold onto the Montreal suburb in Quebec after winning it by a single vote last year, then seeing that result nullified by the courts.

A steady stream of cabinet ministers have swept through the riding over the course of the campaign. Prime Minister Mark Carney also campaigned in the riding on Thursday.

Political analyst Philippe Fournier of the polling aggregator site 338Canada said holding onto the riding would give the governing party “a lot of legitimacy going forward” and show they still have momentum. 

But if Carney’s Liberals lose Terrebonne to the Bloc Québécois, that would send a signal that they are “not so invincible” and the Bloc could be starting to rebound.

“We’re six months away from a Quebec election, and in Terrebonne, the provincial MNA is Parti Québécois,” Fournier said.

“So, I think the Liberals would really like to keep this one to show that they’re still competitive in key areas.”

Prior to last year, the Liberals had not held the seat since the 1980s.

The Liberals are widely expected to retain Scarborough Southwest and University—Rosedale on Monday, both considered to be safe strongholds for the party.

The surprise floor crossing of Ontario MP Marilyn Gladu from the Conservatives to the Liberals a few days ago removed some of the drama from the Terrebonne race, making it unlikely to be make-or-break for Carney to get a clear majority.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 12, 2026.

By Kyle Duggan | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.