Voters set to go to the polls in three by-elections across Canada

Voters set to go to the polls in three by-elections across Canada IAN BAILEY OTTAWA PUBLISHED 1 HOUR AGO Open this photo in gallery: By-elections will be held Monday in the B.C. riding of North Vancouver–Capilano, the Toronto seat of Beaches–East York and the Quebec riding of Chicoutimi–Le Fjord. JEFF MCINTOSH/THE CANADIAN PRESS COMMENTS SHARE SAVE FOR LATER Amid escalating trade tensions with the United States, voters are going to the polls Monday in three federal by-elections that could indicate how Canadians are feeling about the conflict. The by-elections are being held in the Quebec riding of Chicoutimi-Le Fjord, Beaches-East York in Toronto and North Vancouver-Capilano. All three ridings opened up as MPs − two Liberals and a Conservative – stepped down for other opportunities in politics and the public service. Pollster Nik Nanos says the collapse of trade talks may end up being especially germane to the vote in Quebec. “The trade war may have an impact on the Quebec by-election because the Liberal candidate is a dairy farmer,” said the chief data scientist at Nanos Research, referring to Daniel Gobeil, the former president of the Dairy Farmers of Quebec. In a statement, Mr. Nanos said that because the riding has been competitive it will be interesting to see if the trade war puts Mr. Gobeil over the top. Meanwhile, Liberal Braeden Caley, a former senior aide to Prime Minister Mark Carney, is among the candidates in North Vancouver-Capilano. Federal by-elections in 2026 set to cost upwards of $24-million Ahead of Monday’s by-elections, the Liberals have a slim majority in the House of Commons. Elections Canada has reported that 39,500 people had voted in advance polls in the by-elections – 11,800 in Beaches-East York, 11,000 in Chicoutimi-Le Fjord and 16,700 in North Vancouver-Capilano. Here’s the situation in each riding: Chicoutimi-Le Fjord: Conservative MP Richard Martel first won this largely francophone Quebec riding that includes some of the city of Saguenay in a 2018 by-election. This year, he was appointed to the Senate, precipitating his exit from the House and the resulting by-election. The former head coach in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League won re-election in the 2025 general election with 34 per cent of the vote compared with 31.19 per cent for the Bloc candidate, and 31.12 per cent for the Liberals. In the by-election, the Conservatives are running Régis Gaudreault, a lawyer and teacher at the Cégep de Chicoutimi.…