Prime Minister Mark Carney is planning to schedule another six byelections in the coming months, responding to several recent resignations within the ranks of Members of Parliament (MPs). This decision follows the official resignation of Liberal MP Steven Guilbeault, who stepped down from his Montreal seat on Friday, as reported by the House of Commons website.
Guilbeault, the representative for Laurier—Sainte-Marie, cited his departure as a matter of principle. He criticized the changing direction of the Liberal party concerning energy and environmental policies under Carney’s leadership. Notably, the Ottawa government has recently abandoned a consumer carbon tax and has endorsed the construction of new pipelines originating from Alberta.
In addition to Guilbeault, Conservative MP Cathay Wagantall is also expected to officially resign this week after having announced her plans to leave in June. Wagantall has served as the MP for Saskatchewan since 2015 but decided to step down this summer, despite her initial intention to remain until the next election. Nelson Pohl has been confirmed as her successor, running for the Conservative Party in the Yorkton-Melville riding in the forthcoming election.
The exits of Guilbeault and Wagantall are part of a larger trend, as multiple MPs have vacated their positions in recent months. Two MPs stepped down over the summer with plans to run in Quebec’s provincial election. Bloc Québécois MP Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay resigned on June 19 to pursue a candidacy with the Parti Québécois, while Alexandre Boulerice announced his resignation from his Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie seat on August 25, opting to run for Québec solidaire.
Moreover, Ontario Conservative MP Larry Brock has stated that he intends to resign effective September 18 in order to return to his previous role in the Crown prosecutor's office located in Brantford, Ontario. In another instance, Ontario Liberal Shaun Chen resigned from Parliament on August 15, citing health complications stemming from injuries sustained in a car accident the previous fall.
According to parliamentary procedure, the Prime Minister is required to call a byelection once a seat becomes vacant. He has a time frame of 11 to 180 days to initiate the byelection process. Following the call, the election period is mandated to last between 36 to 50 days.
Earlier this year, the Liberals carried out successful byelections in April for three seats, which included two in the Greater Toronto Area and one in Quebec. These byelections were necessitated by the departures of former cabinet ministers Chrystia Freeland and Bill Blair. Additionally, the byelection in Quebec’s Terrebonne riding was prompted by the Supreme Court of Canada nullifying the previous election result due to a clerical error concerning the return address for some mail-in ballots.
