Liberals sweep federal byelections

"It is now going to be the honour of a lifetime to represent the only home I've ever known as your next member of parliament," said newly-elected Beaches-East York Liberal MP Shahnawaz Tanveer

Published Sep 01, 2026  •  Last updated 12 minutes ago  •  3 minute read

Centre Block on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Sunday, May 25, 2025. Photo by Bryan Passifiume /Toronto Sun

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OTTAWA — The Liberal majority in Canada’s parliament was bolstered Monday evening as the party claimed victory in three crucial byelections.

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Tanveer Shahnawaz, who served on the staff of outgoing Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, replaced his former boss in the Toronto riding of Beaches-East York — besting NDP candidate and election night runner-up Shannon Devine by nearly 10,000 votes.

“It is now going to be the honour of a lifetime to represent the only home I’ve ever known as your next member of parliament,” Shahnawaz told reporters Monday night after the results were announced.

Shahnawaz won nearly 56% of the vote with 18,361 votes, while Devine — a long-time organizer and labour leader — got 8,512 votes.

Jim Syrbos, owner of the Square Boy Diner on the Danforth, came third with 5,116 votes. 

Green Party Candidate Bruce Livesey garnered 573 votes to take fourth place, followed by Michel Lachance of the People’s Party of Canada (248 votes), and Canadian Future Party candidate Cameron Thomas (163).

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Not including those who registered on election day, 32,973 out of the riding’s 81,642 registered voters cast a ballot in the Beaches-East York byelection, for a voter turnout of 40.39%.

Beaches-East York is a reliable Liberal stronghold.

Except for between 2011 and 2015, when the riding was held by NDP MP Matthew Kellway, the riding has been Liberal red since 1993.

Liberals flip key Quebec riding

Made vacant after three-term Conservative MP Richard Martel was named to the Senate earlier this year, the east-central Quebec riding of Chicoutimi–Le Fjord is now in Liberal hands.

Dairy farmer and former head of the Dairy Farmers of Quebec Daniel Gobeil won the riding for the Liberals on Monday with 16,235 votes, or 51.3% of the vote.

That was enough to beat Bloc Québécois candidate Caroline Dubé, who managed to garner 10,401 votes. 

Régis Gaudreault, the Conservative candidate, came third with 3,962, while NDP candidate Raphaël Émond came fourth (619 votes), followed by Nathe Perrone of the Green Party (221 votes) and François Sabourin of the People’s Party of Canada (189 votes).

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Not counting those who registered to vote on election day, the riding saw a turnout of 42.2% — with 31,627 of the riding’s 74,952 registered electors making it to the polls on Monday.

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Former PMO staffer wins Vancouver byelection

Out west, North Vancouver–Capilano was won by Braeden Caley, commanding 58.6% of the vote.

Caley, who most recently served as deputy chief of staff in the PMO and served as the federal Liberals’ national campaign co-director and head of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s leadership campaign, got 23,805 votes.

Commercial lawyer Stephen Curran, running for the Tories, came second with 11,852 votes, while third place was taken by environmental scientist Shelley Luce of the Green Party, who got 3,534 votes.

NDP candidate Esphen Tweedale came fourth with 1,272 votes, followed by PPC candidate Ehsan Arjmand (135 votes), and independent candidate Jeff Monds (56 votes).

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Voter turnout in the riding was 45.6%, with 40,654 of 89,154 registered electors casting a vote on Monday.

“Congratulations to Daniel Gobeil, Tanveer Shahnawaz, and Braeden Caley on their election as the new Members of Parliament for Chicoutimi–Le Fjord, Beaches–East York, and North Vancouver–Capilano,” Carney said in a statement late Monday evening.

“At this consequential time for Canada, voters have placed their trust in our government’s plan. We accept their support with humility and determination.”

This is the sixth byelection the Liberals have won this year.

Six more byelections are in the offing, meant to fill vacancies left by departing MPs Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay (BQ), Shaun Chen (Liberal), Alexandre Boulerice (NDP), Steven Guilbeault (Liberal), Cathay Wagantall (Conservative) and Larry Brock (Conservative).

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