Advance voting begins Friday for three federal byelections scheduled for August 31 in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia, with the results carrying implications for Prime Minister Mark Carney’s narrow Liberal majority.
Voters will head to the polls in Beaches–East York, Ontario; Chicoutimi–Le Fjord, Quebec; and North Vancouver–Capilano, B.C. The seats became vacant following the departures of Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Jonathan Wilkinson and Richard Martel.
Wilkinson left Parliament after being appointed Canada’s ambassador to the European Union, while former Conservative MP Martel was appointed to the Senate. Erskine-Smith resigned after previously announcing plans to leave federal politics and is considering a potential run for Toronto city council.
The Liberals currently hold 171 seats, compared with 139 Conservatives, 21 Bloc Québécois, five NDP and one Green MP, along with one Independent. The Liberals will need to capture at least one of the three seats on August 31 to maintain their majority.
Another federal vacancy remains in Saint-Hyacinthe–Bagot–Acton, Quebec, following former Bloc Québécois MP Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay’s departure from politics. Elections Canada says a byelection there must be called by December 19.
