Voting begins for byelections as Trump trade war looms over Canadians

Voters will be heading to the booths as polling opens Monday in three key federal byelections.

The byelections come as Canadians grapple with the effects of repeated escalations of U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war against Canada.

Voting is now open in the Ontario riding of Beaches-East York and the Quebec riding of Chicoutimi-Le Fjord. A third riding, North Vancouver-Capilano in British Columbia, will see polls open at 9 am Pacific.

Elections Canada said 39,500 Canadians have already voted in advanced polls according to its preliminary figures, from Aug. 21 to Aug. 24

North Vancouver–Capilano recorded the highest early turnout with 16,700, followed by Beaches-East York with 11,800 and Chicoutimi-Le Fjord at 11,000.

In B.C., the Liberals are hoping to hold on to North Vancouver-Capilano, which they’ve held since 2015. Most recently, it belonged to long-time MP and minister Jonathan Wilkinson who left to take on the role of Canada’s ambassador to the European Union.

Ex-Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith’s former seat in Beaches-East York is also up for grabs.

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The former MP and cabinet minister is now running for Toronto city council after a failed attempt to be the candidate for the provincial Liberals in an upcoming byelection.

The third riding to watch will be in Chicoutimi-Le Fjord, which became vacant after Prime Minister Mark Carney named Conservative MP Richard Martel to the Senate.

According to a new poll by Ipsos for Global News, 44 per cent of Canadians say they’d vote for the Liberals if an election were held tomorrow compared to 33 per cent for the Conservatives, 10 per cent for the NDP and eight per cent for the Bloc.

Those numbers were strongest in B.C. with 46 per cent saying they’d vote Liberal and 49 per cent saying the same in Ontario. The Liberals also were ahead in Quebec, with 37 per cent saying they’d vote for the governing party, but the numbers were closer with 33 per cent supporting the Bloc Quebecois. The Conservatives trailed in third in Quebec at 22 per cent.

For all three provinces where a by-election is being held, the polling also showed majority support for Canada standing firm against the U.S. proposed deal, even if it meant higher tariffs and economic costs. About 65 per cent of B.C. and Ontario residents said they agreed with the decision, with 57 per cent saying the same in Quebec.

–with files from Global’s Sean Previl