Voters in three federal ridings cast ballots on Monday in byelections that could determine the fate of the Liberal minority government. The votes in Chicoutimi–Le Fjord, , Beaches–East York, , and North Vancouver–Capilano, , come with the government of Prime Minister Mark Carney two seats short of the 172 needed for a majority.

The governing Liberals currently hold 170 seats in the House of Commons, after a series of resignations in recent months, while the combined opposition has 166 seats. A majority would allow the Liberals to control the legislative agenda and hold onto power until 2029 without the risk of being toppled during confidence votes.

A key race in Quebec

The most closely watched contest is expected to be in Chicoutimi–Le Fjord, where Conservative Richard Martel has held the seat since 2018 but stepped down last month after being appointed by Carney to the Senate. In the 2025 federal election, Martel narrowly won the riding with 67.7 per cent of the vote, with both the Bloc Québécois and Liberals following closely behind, each with 31 per cent — separated by only about 1,500 votes.

Daniel Gobeil is running for the Liberals, with Caroline Dubé representing the Bloc. The Conservatives have fielded Régis Gaudreault, the NDP's Raphaël Émond, and Nathe Perrone for the Green Party. A loss here would be "enormously problematic" for the Conservatives, former Conservative cabinet minister James Moore said, though he added that the race is anyone's game.