The Conservatives and Liberals are both claiming victory after three federal byelections that saw the Tories gain a Toronto-area riding and the Official Opposition another seat west of Ontario.

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff speaks to reporters on Tuesday in Ottawa following Monday night's byelections in Ontario and Manitoba. (CBC)

The Tories won two out of three ridings on Monday night, including southern Ontario's Vaughan, where former Ontario Provincial Police commissioner Julian Fantino ended the Liberals' 22-year hold on the riding.

Fantino beat Liberal Tony Genco with 49.1 per cent of the votes cast to Genco's 46.6 per cent, in a contest the Conservatives hope signifies a crack in the Liberal stronghold in Canada's largest city.

In a statement Tuesday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said his party's victories amount to an "endorsement" by voters of his government's actions to protect and create jobs and continue to strengthen the Canadian economy.

"Though it is rare for a governing party to win byelections, we are buoyed by the fact that the Conservative caucus in the House of Commons has increased," the prime minister said.

"Ours was the only party to make a net gain last night."

Tories treated Vaughan like 'coronation': Ignatieff

But Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff, in turn, hailed his party's "breakthrough" win in the West over the New Democrats in Winnipeg North, saying the results show that the next election is shaping up as a "clear two-way choice" between his party and Harper's Conservatives.

"You want an alternative to the Stephen Harper government, you want social compassion, fiscal responsibility, environmental action, international engagement, you vote Liberal in the next election," he said.

While Ignatieff said the Conservatives treated the race in Vaughan as a "coronation" for Fantino, the Liberal leader also predicted his party would win the riding back in the next federal election.

Fantino "thought it was going to be a waltz; it was a dogfight," he said.

But Conservatives were quick to note on Tuesday that governing parties typically don't win byelections.

Speaking shortly after Ignatieff, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said the result in Vaughan "bodes well" for the Conservatives in the Greater Toronto Area. He said the victory demonstrates the "dynamic growth" of Conservative party support among new Canadians, noting that 45 per cent of the riding's population was born overseas.

In Winnipeg North, Liberal Kevin Lamoureux beat NDP candidate Kevin Chief, 46.3 per cent to 41.2 per cent. The seat was held by the NDP's Judy Wasylycia-Leis until she resigned to run an unsuccessful campaign for Winnipeg mayor last month.

The New Democrats, in response to the loss, cited Lamoureux's 18 years in professional politics in the riding and said they were proud of the campaign Chief ran.

The other Manitoba contest saw Conservative Robert Sopuck win by a hefty margin in the riding of Dauphin–Swan River–Marquette, which was left vacant by the retirement of longtime Conservative MP Inky Mark.