Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced federal byelections in three constituencies: North Vancouver—Capilano in British Columbia, Beaches—East York in Ontario and Chicoutimi—Le Fjord in Quebec.
Voting in all three ridings is scheduled for August 31.
Vacancies Left by Former MPs
The contests will replace three former members of Parliament.
Jonathan Wilkinson, the former Liberal MP for North Vancouver—Capilano, has been appointed Canada’s ambassador to the European Union.
Beaches—East York was previously represented by Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, while former Conservative MP Richard Martel left the Chicoutimi—Le Fjord seat after being appointed to the Senate.
Liberals Need One Victory to Maintain House Control
The Liberal Party currently holds 171 seats, excluding House of Commons Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia.
However, that number is expected to fall to 170 before Parliament resumes in late September because former Liberal cabinet minister Steven Guilbeault will step down on August 28.
Opposition parties are expected to hold a combined 165 seats by that time because of additional vacancies. Conservative MP Cathay Wagantall has said she intends to formally resign on August 31.
NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice is also planning to enter provincial politics. He has indicated that he will officially resign after Quebec’s provincial election is called.
Winning at least one of the three byelections would return the Liberals to 171 seats. That would allow the party to maintain a technical House majority, although it could still depend on the Speaker to settle tied votes.
Quebec Riding Not Included in Announcement
Carney did not call a byelection for Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot—Acton in Quebec.
The seat became vacant after former Bloc Québécois MP Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay resigned earlier this year to contest Quebec’s provincial election.
The Prime Minister’s Office said further information about the riding would be provided later. The earliest possible date for calling the byelection is August 10, while the deadline is December 19.
Liberal Candidates Confirmed
The Liberals have selected Braeden Caley, Carney’s former deputy chief of staff, to compete in North Vancouver—Capilano.
Tanveer Shahnawaz will represent the party in Beaches—East York, while Daniel Gobeil will contest Chicoutimi—Le Fjord.
Conservatives, Bloc and Greens Announce Candidates
The Conservative Party has named Stephen Curran as its candidate in North Vancouver—Capilano and Régis Gaudreault in Chicoutimi—Le Fjord.
The Bloc Québécois has selected Caroline Dubé to run in Chicoutimi—Le Fjord.
The Green Party will field Shelley Luce in North Vancouver—Capilano.
The NDP has distributed nomination packages to interested candidates and is expected to release more information about its selections later.
The August 31 byelections could significantly affect the balance of power in the House of Commons. The Liberals need only one victory to restore their seat total to 171 and preserve their narrow technical majority as Parliament prepares to return after the summer break.