Pivotal Terrebonne byelection sees preliminary 20% voter turnout in advance polls

By Canadian Press on April 7, 2026.

OTTAWA — Almost 38,000 people voted in the advance polls in three byelections that could give Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberals a majority government, with the highest advance turnout in Terrebonne.

Preliminary data from Elections Canada says 18,200 people in the Quebec riding cast ballots in advance elections, which amounts to almost 20 per cent of people on the voters’ list.

The Toronto area ridings saw lower degrees of voter turnout at the advance polls, with 10,300 ballots already cast in Scarborough Southwest and 9,400 in University — Rosedale.

Both the Liberals and Bloc Québécois have been making a strong push in Terrebonne, where a single vote gave Liberal Tatiana Auguste the victory over Bloc incumbent Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné last year.

In February, the Supreme Court of Canada annulled the result of that vote, citing a clerical error on the return address on mail-in ballots.

The Toronto area byelections are being held to replace former cabinet ministers Chrystia Freeland and Bill Blair, both of whom resigned to take other opportunities.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 7, 2026.

David Baxter, The Canadian Press