Trudeau announces September 16 by-elections in Quebec, Manitoba districts

OTTAWA — A pair of federal by-elections will be held in September to fill vacancies in Quebec and Manitoba, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Sunday.

Voters will go to the polls in the Elmwood—Transcona district in Manitoba and the LaSalle—Émard—Verdun district in the Montreal area on September 16.

The Manitoba riding was held by the New Democratic Party until MLA Daniel Blaikie resigned in March to work for the office of the province’s premier, Wab Kinew.

Blaikie had held the federal seat since the 2015 election.

The Quebec riding was led by former Liberal justice minister David Lametti, who resigned in January after being ousted from Trudeau’s cabinet during a shuffle the previous summer.

The by-election will mark the first test for Trudeau’s Liberals since losing the June by-election in Toronto-St. Paul, a riding the Liberals had previously held for decades.

Ian MacIntyre, a former teacher and president of the Manitoba Teachers’ Association, is running for the Liberals in Elmwood — Transcona.

The Conservatives will run electrician Colin Reynolds, while Leila Dance, chief executive of Transcona BIZ, will run for the NDP.

In LaSalle—Émard—Verdun, Montreal city councilor Laura Palestini is the Liberal candidate, while Craig Sauvé, another city councillor, is the NDP candidate.

Louis Ialenti, business owner, is running for the Conservatives.

Louis-Philippe Sauvé is the Bloc Québécois candidate, the party announced on Sunday. He is a long-time political employee and currently works in communications for a think tank that analyzes issues related to Quebec’s economy.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on July 28, 2024.

Alessia Passafiume, Canadian Press