MP Cathay Wagantall officially becomes 10th MP to resign this year

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The House of Commons is set to return on Sept. 21 with three new Liberal MPs elected in Monday’s byelections, all of which were triggered by resignations.

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On Monday, the Liberals held on to two seats previously represented by former cabinet ministers Jonathan Wilkinson and Nate Erskine-Smith.

Wilkinson stepped down for a diplomatic appointment as Canada’s ambassador to the European Union.

Erskine-Smith planned to run for the Ontario Liberal leadership but that plan ended when he lost a nomination contest to run for the provincial party in a byelection in Toronto. He is now seeking a seat on Toronto’s city council.

Former Quebec Conservative Richard Martel’s seat of Chicoutimi—Le Fjord is now in Liberal hands after Monday’s byelection. Martel left the House to take a Senate appointment in July.

The year of resignations began with former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland’s official departure in January, initially to take an economic advisory position with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. She began a job as CEO of the Rhodes Trust on July 1.

Former cabinet minister Bill Blair then left his Toronto seat for a posting as high commissioner in the U.K. His posting was announced in February and his term began in March.

Both Bloc Québécois MP Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay and the NDP’s Alexandre Boulerice stepped down to run in Quebec’s election, which is set for Oct. 5.

Toronto Liberal Shaun Chen resigned his seat last month after he said a car crash last year made it too difficult for him to commute to Ottawa. He is now running for city council in Toronto.

And former Liberal cabinet minister Steven Guilbeault officially vacated his Montreal seat on Friday. Guilbeault has been vocal in his opposition to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s policies on the environment and energy since quitting cabinet last November.

Elections Canada estimates each byelection costs around $2 million but notes that those costs tend to be higher in places like Toronto, where facility rentals and advertising cost more.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 1, 2026.

David Baxter, The Canadian Press