BYELECTIONS: Voters to make their voices heard Monday
· Toronto Sun
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While Mark Carney’s governing Liberal Party maintains a slim majority on Parliament Hill, voters in three ridings across Canada — including Toronto — will make their voices heard at the ballot box in Monday’s byelections.
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The prime minister, who needs just one victory to keep his majority in Ottawa, called the byelections on July 26 after members representing Toronto’s Beaches—East York, Quebec’s Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, and British Columbia’s North Vancouver—Capilano stepped down earlier this year.
The Liberals under Carney, handed a minority government in April 2025 after former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stepped down from office, have enjoyed majority rule in the House of Commons since April following byelection victories and floor-crossings by opposition members.
Parliament, which returns to work Sept. 21, will still have two more seats to fill as Carney has yet to call byelections for Toronto’s Scarborough North and Quebec’s Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot—Acton.
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Beaches—East York
Who vacated the seat?
Nate Erskine-Smith, who represented the Liberal stronghold for more than a decade, resigned in July after he unsuccessfully made a run for the provincial Liberal nomination in Scarborough-Southwest in May. He is now running for Toronto city council in Ward 19 Beaches-East York in the upcoming October municipal election.
Who is running?
Shannon Devine of the New Democratic Party, Michel Lachance of the People’s Party, Bruce Livesey of the Green Party, Tanveer Shahnawaz of the Liberal Party, Jim Syrbos of the Conservative Party, and Cameron Thomas of the Canadian Future Party.
What the candidates are saying
Syrbos, a lifetime Danforth resident who co-founded the East Toronto Coffee Co. and whose family has run Square Boy restaurant for decades, is campaigning on affordability, safety, and overall better living standards for residents.
Shahnawaz, who recently worked as the constituency office manager for Erskine-Smith, says he will work to bring down costs, grow the local economy, and keep the community safe.
Divine says she is deeply concerned about the federal government dropping its climate and environmental commitments and will fight for affordable rent and housing, bringing down costs on groceries, prescriptions and other essentials, more good jobs, and affordable child care.
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Chicoutimi—Le Fjord
Who vacated the seat?
Richard Martel, who represented the Conservative Party, stepped down from Parliament after was appointed by Carney to the Senate in July. Martel had a long career in the hockey world as a coach before he entered federal politics in 2018.
Who is running?
Caroline Dubé of the Bloc Québécois, Raphaël Émond of the New Democratic Party, Régis Gaudreault of the Conservative Party, Daniel Gobeil of the Liberal Party, Nathe Perrone of the Green Party, and François Sabourin of the People’s Party.
What the candidates are saying
Lawyer and professor Gaudreault is hoping to keep the riding under the Conservative umbrella. He says the cost of living is financially squeezing families, young people are struggling to find housing, and businesses can’t hire much-needed workers.
Gobeil, a dairy farmer, says he will work to support Quebec’s farming community, strengthen food security, lower the cost of living, and build a more prosperous economy in the region.
Dubé is campaigning on reducing the cost of living, particularly for seniors, fighting against climate change, advocating for federal investments for area industries, and supporting workers and businesses targeted by U.S. tariffs.
North Vancouver—Capilano
Who vacated the seat?
Jonathan Wilkinson, the longtime Liberal MP and cabinet minister, resigned in June after he was appointed by the prime minister as Canada’s ambassador to the European Union.
Who is running?
Ehsan Arjmand of the People’s Party, Braeden Caley of the Liberal Party, Stephen Curran of the Conservative Party, Shelley Luce of the Green Party, Independent candidate Jeff Monds, and Stephen Tweedale of the New Democratic Party.
What the candidates are saying
Curran, a longtime resident and business lawyer, says local families are facing the rising cost of living, housing that is out of reach for the next generation, property rights, concerns about crime and public safety, and frustration with the pace of infrastructure in the community.
Caley, who most recently served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Carney, is running on building a new port to increase Canadian exports beyond the U.S. market, building new ships for the Navy and Coast Guard, and affordable homes and infrastructure for a growing region.
Tweedale, a community activist and organizer who currently works as a constituency adviser at the provincial level, is running on bringing down the cost of living while offering a progressive alternative to policies that have put corporate greed, wars and climate destruction ahead of communities.