Voters in southwestern Ontario are gearing up for the eighth federal byelection, scheduled between the end of August and mid-April, following the impending departure of Ontario Conservative MP Larry Brock. Brock, who won in 2021 to represent the Brantford–Brant South riding, is resigning from the House of Commons to join the Crown attorney’s office in Brantford, Ont.

This marks the third Conservative MP exit this summer, with Saskatchewan MP Cathay Wagantall and Quebec’s Richard Martel also stepping down. Martel’s Chicoutimi–Le Fjord riding, along with North Vancouver–Capilano and Beaches–East York in Toronto, will all hold byelections. The latter two are to fill the seats left by former Liberal cabinet ministers Jonathan Wilkinson and Nate Erskine-Smith, who resigned to pursue other opportunities.

Bloc Québécois MP Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay resigned to run for the Parti Québécois in the upcoming Quebec election, leaving his Saint-Hyacinthe–Bagot–Acton seat vacant. Notably, this is the only unoccupied federal seat without a scheduled byelection.

According to regulations, a byelection must be called between 11 and 180 days after a seat becomes vacant, with campaigns lasting between 36 and 50 days. The prime minister’s authority to announce a byelection is contingent upon the formal vacancy of a seat. Independent and former NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice is preparing to run for Québec solidaire in the provincial election while still holding his Montreal seat.

Former Liberal cabinet minister Steven Guilbeault, who announced his resignation on May 27, is set to step down from his Montreal MP position on August 28. Similarly, Larry Brock will vacate his seat on September 18, just before the House of Commons reconvenes from its summer recess on September 21.