Voters in Durham to choose new MP in federal byelection Monday

March 4, 2024 Canuck

Voters in Durham head to the polls Monday to elect a new member of parliament.

The byelection was called in January after longtime representative Erin O’Toole announced his retirement from politics and resigned his seat last year. O’Toole held the riding for the Conservatives for 11 years and also led the party in the 2021 federal election.

Polls are open from 8:30 a.m. ET to 8:30 p.m. and eligible residents must cast their ballot at their assigned voting location, which can be found here.

CBC’s Power & Politics is hosting a live results special beginning when the polls are set to close. You can watch it live in this story.

The candidates running to replace O’Toole include:

Jamil Jivani, Conservative Party of Canada. Jivani is a conservative commentator and author.
Robert Rock, Liberal Party of Canada. Rock is currently a municipal councillor in the Township of Scugog.
Chris Borgia, New Democratic Party. Borgia is an electrician and labour executive.
Kevin MacKenzie, Green Party of Canada. MacKenzie is a Catholic school board trustee in Clarington.
Patricia Conlin, People’s Party of Canada. Conlin is a consultant and leadership trainer.

The full list of candidates can be found here.

The vote comes as public polling suggests Pierre Poilievre’s Tories hold a double-digit lead over the governing Liberals under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Durham, a riding with a mix of suburban and rural areas and roughly 116,250 registered voters, has been a Conservative stronghold for two decades. O’Toole won re-election by at least nine percentage points in 2015, 2019 and 2021.

While Monday’s results won’t shift the balance of power in the House of Commons, they could preview the relative strength of the parties in the critical Greater Toronto Area with a federal election looming next year.

Voters in Durham previously told CBC News that affordability and housing are among their top priorities.

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