Voters are gearing up for the eighth federal byelection between late August and mid-April following the impending departure of Ontario Conservative MP Larry Brock. Brock, who won his seat in 2021 representing the southwestern Ontario riding now known as Brantford–Brant South, has announced his resignation from the House of Commons to take up a role at the Crown attorney’s office in Brantford, Ontario.
This summer has seen the resignation of three Conservative MPs. Saskatchewan MP Cathay Wagantall declared her departure by the end of this month, while Quebec’s Richard Martel has been appointed to the Senate. Consequently, byelections are scheduled for Martel’s riding of Chicoutimi–Le Fjord, as well as North Vancouver–Capilano and Beaches–East York in Toronto.
The North Vancouver–Capilano and Beaches–East York contests aim to fill the vacancies left by former Liberal cabinet ministers Jonathan Wilkinson and Nate Erskine-Smith. Wilkinson stepped down to assume the role of Canada’s ambassador to the European Union in Brussels, while Erskine-Smith made an unsuccessful bid in Ontario politics.
Earlier this summer, Bloc Québécois MP Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay resigned his seat to run for the Parti Québécois in the Quebec election scheduled for October 5. Notably, the Saint-Hyacinthe–Bagot–Acton federal seat remains unoccupied with no byelection called yet.
Byelections must be called by the prime minister within 11 to 180 days after a seat becomes vacant, and the campaign period typically lasts between 36 and 50 days. Thus, a byelection vote is expected to occur within 47 days to seven months after a seat vacancy is confirmed, pending the formal resignation of the MP.
Meanwhile, Independent and former NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice is vying for Québec solidaire in the provincial election while retaining his Montreal seat for now. Additionally, former Liberal cabinet minister Steven Guilbeault, who announced his resignation on May 27, is set to step down as an MP for Montreal on August 28, whereas Larry Brock plans to resign on September 18.
The House of Commons is scheduled to reconvene from its summer recess on September 21.