Conservative MP Larry Brock announced Thursday night he will be stepping down as a member of Parliament next month. “When I first thought about my time in political public service, my plan was to keep representing the hardworking people of Brantford-Brant South for years to come,” Brock said in a post on X. “Following careful consideration, I’ve decided to step down as a member of Parliament.” Brock, a prominent law-and-order advocate, said he will officially resign his seat on Sept. 18 and return to his former position with the Brantford Crown attorney’s office. His resignation will trigger a byelection in the Ontario riding. Brock was first elected to Parliament in 2021, replacing longtime Conservative MP Phil McColeman, and was re-elected in 2025 with more than 52 per cent of the vote share. He previously served as the Conservative justice critic but was replaced in June by Ontario MP Arpan Khanna. Another Conservative MP leaves caucus In a statement on X, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre thanked Brock “for fighting to end Liberal bail, to lock up criminals, to restore safe streets and to support victims.” Brock will become the seventh MP to leave Poilievre’s caucus since the 2025 federal election. Chris d’Entremont, Michael Ma, Matt Jeneroux and Marilyn Gladu crossed the floor to join the Liberals, while Cathy Wagantall said she would resign at the end of August. Richard Martel was appointed to the Senate by Prime Minister Mark Carney in July. The Liberals formed a minority government through the 2025 election, but the combination of floor-crossings and a trio of byelection victories last April helped Carney secure a majority. Conservatives have advantage in the riding: Nanos Founder and chief data scientist at Nanos Research, Nik Nanos says while Brock’s resignation may not be the optimal situation for Poilievre, polling suggests the Conservatives have a fair chance of winning their seat back in the Brantford—Brant South—Six Nations riding. “I was just looking at our modelling for that specific riding, and it suggests that the Conservatives have the advantage,” Nanos told CTV News Channel on Friday. He added that Larry Brock had a “fairly comfortable win” in the riding, but with no candidates selected, he’s unsure if the Conservatives can replicate those results. “Conservative political fortunes are not as strong today as they were in the last federal election. So, I think this is going to be an interesting riding to watch. It’ll be important to see who the actual candidates are specifically between the Conservatives and the Liberals.” When it comes to how soon a byelection will be called in the riding, Nanos said “this is within the complete control of the prime minister, and whether he wants to roll this up with others.”
