The Liberals have a majority government with 173 seats, and there are currently six vacancies in the House.Keito Newman/The Canadian Press
Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to call by-elections shortly, with his party nominating candidates for four ridings in Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan in the past week.
The Liberals will head into those elections having raised more money than the Conservatives in the third quarter of 2026, a reversal of roles for the Tories, who traditionally lead the pack in political fundraising.
The Liberals raised $4.9-million to the Conservatives’ $3.9-million, records published by Elections Canada on Friday show.
In the second quarter, the Tories had raised $5-million and the Liberals $4.3-million.
The third-quarter results are likely to put further pressure on Leader Pierre Poilievre as his caucus grows ever more restive about its chances of forming government if he remains at the helm.
Conservative MPs had received a briefing on their fiscal picture and by-election readiness from party officials earlier this week.
Two MPs said the officials had sounded an optimistic tone, telling the caucus that the party was still on track to hit annual fundraising targets despite the Conservatives slump in the polls.
The Globe and Mail is not naming the MPs as they were not authorized to discuss caucus deliberations.
The Liberals began planning in earnest for the by-elections in recent days. Three Liberal sources told The Globe that the party has been calling field organizers to gauge the readiness of campaign teams on the ground, naming key campaign personnel, and telling members of Parliament to slot door-knocking shifts into their calendars for the coming break week in the House of Commons.
The Globe is not naming the sources as they are not authorized to discuss the party’s campaign strategy.
The Liberals have a majority government with 173 seats, and there are six vacancies in the House.
Three are in Quebec. Two were held by opposition parties: Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie, previously held by the NDP; and Saint-Hyacinthe–Bagot–Acton, previously held by the Bloc Québécois. The Liberals have now nominated candidates in both.
The third is Laurier–Sainte-Marie, previously held by former Liberal cabinet minister Steven Guilbeault. The Liberals have yet to announce who will run there.
The Saskatchewan seat is Yorkton-Melville, which the Conservatives won in the past election with 77 per cent of the vote.
On Thursday, the Liberals named Yorkton Mayor Aaron Kienle as their candidate. The Conservative candidate is farmer and small-business owner Nelson Pohl.
The other two vacancies are in Ontario. The riding of Scarborough-North is a Liberal stronghold. The Liberals have named businessman James Li as the candidate.
The second Ontario seat is Brantford-Brant South, where Conservative MP Larry Brock resigned earlier this fall.
Mr. Poilievre infuriated some party members in the riding when last month he appointed a candidate, Kevin Davis, to replace Mr. Brock instead of holding an open nomination race.
Earlier this week, long-time local Conservative Dave Carrol – Mr. Brock had said he’d support him in the expected nomination race for the riding – announced that he will run as an independent.
Mr. Carrol also has the backing of Phil McColeman, who held the riding for the Tories before Mr. Brock. Mr. McColeman was caught on camera walking out of the event where Mr. Poilievre announced the appointed candidate.
The potential for the vote to split on the right, and the lacklustre fundraising results Friday will raise questions about whether Mr. Poilievre’s party can hold onto the seat.
The Tories won in the riding in the past election with 52 per cent, after the NDP’s support in the riding dropped considerably. In 2021, the Conservatives won the seat with 40 per cent.
Joy O’Donnell, who ran for the Liberals in the riding last year, has said that she is seeking the nomination again. Her campaign did not return a request for comment from The Globe. The Liberal riding association referred questions to party headquarters.
On Friday, the party said it had nothing to announce yet on who will run for them there.
Liberal spokesperson Maggie Morris said the party’s third-quarter fundraising reflects Canadians rallying behind Mr. Carney.
“Grassroots fundraising and engagement are at the heart of everything we are able to do as a party and deliver for Canadians,” Ms. Morris said in an e-mail.
The third quarter of 2026 included a $1775-per-person fundraiser that the Prime Minister headlined in Toronto ahead of the Liberals’ investment summit in September.
Records published by Elections Canada show 445 people attended the event.