Voting is underway in three federal byelections taking place today under the shadow of an intensifying trade war with the United States. All eyes are on what could be a close race in rural Quebec, where Conservative Richard Martel resigned his seat in Chicoutimi-Le Fjord to sit in the Senate. Martel won a tight three-way race in 2025, beating the Liberal and Bloc Québécois candidates by about 1,500 votes. McGill University political science professor Daniel Béland says if the Tories can’t hold on to the Quebec seat, it will add to the narrative that Pierre Poilievre’s leadership is in trouble. Elections are also on in the Toronto riding of Beaches-East York and in North Vancouver-Capilano to replace former cabinet ministers Nate Erskine-Smith and Jonathan Wilkinson. Elections Canada reports that thousands cast votes in advance polls — with 11,800 advance ballots in Beaches-East York, 11,000 in Chicoutimi=Le Fjord and 16,700 in North Vancouver-Capilano. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 31, 2026.
