Elections Canada has called byelections in three federal ridings for Oct. 19 -- the same day as the scheduled general election.
The Ontario ridings of Ottawa-West Nepean, Peterborough and Sudbury will hold their byelections on Oct. 19, according to a statement issued by Election Canada Sunday. This means the ridings will not be represented by a Member of Parliament in Ottawa until then.
The timing of the byelections is interesting, given it’s the same day as the fixed federal election date. While Prime Minister Stephen Harper could call the federal election early, he has indicated that he will stick to the October date.
A spokesperson for Elections Canada told the Canadian Press the byelections would be superceded should a general election be held before Oct. 19.
Two of the three ridings used to be held by Conservative MPs. Former foreign affairs minister John Baird suddenly resigned his seat in Ottawa West-Nepean earlier this year.
Dean Del Mastro, who represented Peterborough, resigned from the House of Commons last November, after he was found guilty on all counts of exceeding spending limits during the 2008 federal election campaign.
And former NDP MP Glenn Thibeault resigned his Sudbury seat late last year to join the Ontario Liberals. He now represents the riding in the provincial legislature.
