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Liberal MP Steven Guilbeault makes his way to the Liberal Party of Canada caucus meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Wednesday, May 27, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby
By The Canadian Press

Steven Guilbeault formally resigns his seat in Laurier-Sainte-Marie

Aug 31, 2026 | 2:03 PM

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to schedule another six byelections for the coming months.

Liberal MP Steven Guilbeault officially resigned his Montreal seat on Friday, according to the House of Commons website.

The MP for Laurier—Sainte-Marie has said he’s leaving government on a matter of principal because the party’s direction on energy and the environment changed under Carney’s leadership. Ottawa dropped the consumer carbon tax and endorsed building new pipelines out of Alberta.

Conservative MP Cathay Wagantall was also expected to officially resign this week after announcing her plans in June.

Wagantall, a Saskatchewan MP since 2015, announced her resignation this summer after originally saying she planned to stick around until the next election. Nelson Pohl will run under the Conservative banner in her Yorkton-Melville riding in the next election.

Guilbeault and Wagantall are just the latest MPs to exit the Commons in recent months.

Two MPs stepped down this summer to run in Quebec’s provincial election.

Bloc Québécois MP Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay resigned on June 19 to run for the Parti Québécois, while Alexandre Boulerice resigned his Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie seat on Aug. 25 to run for Québec solidaire.

Ontario Conservative MP Larry Brock has announced plans to step down on Sept. 18 to return to the Crown prosecutor’s office in Brantford, Ont.

Ontario Liberal Shaun Chen resigned as a member of Parliament on Aug. 15, attributing his exit to injuries he sustained in a car accident last fall that led to significant health issues.

The prime minister must call a byelection after a seat becomes vacant, but he has a window of 11 to 180 days in which to do so. The election period must last from 36 to 50 days.

The Liberals also swept three April byelections earlier this year — two in the GTA and one in Quebec.

The Toronto-area races were called to replace former cabinet ministers Chrystia Freeland and Bill Blair.

The April byelection in Quebec’s Terrebonne riding was called after the Supreme Court of Canada nullified the riding’s result from the general election over a clerical error on the return address for some mail-in ballots.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 31, 2026.

Canadian Press Staff, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press