With the election campaign in Quebec in full swing, Elections Canada is addressing confusion among voters in Chicoutimi-Le Fjord, where a federal byelection is set for Monday. In a recent social media update, the agency clarified that the federal byelection on Aug. 31 is distinct from the provincial election scheduled for Oct. 5.
The Quebec riding is seeking a successor for former Conservative MP Richard Martel, who has been appointed to the Senate. Martel, a former hockey coach first elected in 2018, narrowly secured Chicoutimi-Le Fjord for the Conservatives in the previous general election, with the Bloc Québécois and Liberal candidates closely following in a region known as a separatist stronghold.
Candidates vying for the seat in the riding include Daniel Gobeil for the Liberals, Régis Gaudreault for the Conservatives, and Caroline Dubé for the Bloc Québécois. Concurrently, two other byelections are happening on the same day: one in the North Vancouver-Capilano riding in British Columbia and another in the Beaches-East York riding in Ontario.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has yet to announce a byelection for Saint-Hyacinthe-Bagot-Acton in Quebec. The constituency was previously represented by former Bloc Québécois MP Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, who resigned earlier this year to contest in Quebec’s provincial election with the Parti Québécois.