A byelection is scheduled for April 14 to determine the new member of Parliament for Halifax, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Sunday.
The seat has been vacant since Andy Fillmore resigned to run for mayor of Halifax last September.
Fillmore had represented Halifax since 2015. Prior to that, the riding had been held by the New Democrats going back to 1997.
Trudeau was legally required to call a byelection by Sunday.
The Liberal Party has already announced that Shannon Miedema, who leads Halifax Regional Municipality’s environment and climate change team, will run for the seat.
Lisa Roberts, a former NDP MLA who narrowly lost to Fillmore in the 2021 federal election, is running for the New Democratic Party.
Mark Boudreau, a former director of corporate affairs for Loblaw and spokesperson for Nova Scotia’s Progressive Conservatives, is running for the Conservatives.
The Liberals will elect a new federal leader on March 9 before the House resumes sitting on March 24
General election call would cancel byelection
Should a general election be called before April 14, the byelection would be cancelled.
Under this scenario, Elections Canada says votes already cast would be voided, but electors would still be able to vote in the general election.
Those who had requested to vote by special ballot would also need to apply for a new voting kit.
According to Elections Canada, other details may also change, including the location of polling stations, and list of candidates running. The most up-to-date information will be available on the independent agency’s website.
