National

Voters head to polls for Toronto byelection, all eyes on whether Liberals hold seat

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 24 Jun, 2024 10:17 AM

Residents of Toronto—St Paul's will head to the polls today to vote for a new member of parliament for their riding, with observers watching to see if the Liberals can hang on to the seat they've held for the last 10 elections.

The byelection was prompted by the resignation of former Liberal MP Carolyn Bennett, who held the seat for more than 25 years and was recently appointed ambassador to Denmark.

🚨Toronto St—Paul’s: tomorrow is by-election day! If you haven’t already, please make a plan to vote for our amazing Liberal candidate @lesliechurch to be your next MP. Polls are open from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. 🗳️ pic.twitter.com/L9gjx4qw1Z
— Chrystia Freeland (@cafreeland) June 23, 2024

As the Conservatives maintain a double-digit lead over the Liberals in national polls, political watchers will have a close eye on today's race, which appears to be tighter than expected for a Liberal stronghold.

Liberal candidate Leslie Church has spent most of her career as a political staffer, including as chief of staff to multiple ministers, most recently Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.

Her primary opponent, Conservative candidate Don Stewart, is a financial and marketing specialist.

Stewart previously worked for the public affairs firm owned by Jenni Byrne, a longtime Conservative campaign director and a key, if currently unofficial, adviser to party leader Pierre Poilievre.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Cybersecurity standards emerging in Canada as ransomware business booms

The ransomware business is booming in Canada. Recent victims have included large corporations such as retailer London Drugs, as well as the City of Hamilton, Ont., and the government of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Cybersecurity standards emerging in Canada as ransomware business booms

Bank of Canada cuts key interest rate for first time in more than four years

The Bank of Canada cut its key interest rate for the first time in more than four years Wednesday, marking a major turning point in its fight against inflation. With the quarter-percentage-point cut, the central bank’s key interest rate now stands at 4.75 per cent.

Bank of Canada cuts key interest rate for first time in more than four years

Machete wielding carjacking

A woman has been charged after allegedly stealing a taxi cab while wielding a machete. Victoria police say the woman requested a ride to several places on Friday night and when the cab driver asked her to pay up, she allegedly threatened the driver with a machete and drove off with the taxi.

Machete wielding carjacking

Privacy commissioners investigate B.C. firm that does background checks for landlords

The privacy commissioners of Canada and British Columbia have launched an investigation into a Victoria-based company that performs background checks on tenants and others. They say in a joint statement that Certn is being assessed to make sure it complies with the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act and B.C.'s Personal Information Protection Act.

Privacy commissioners investigate B.C. firm that does background checks for landlords

B.C. school district investigates exam asking pupils to argue if Israel should exist

The school district in Burnaby, B.C., has launched an investigation into what it says was a harmful exam that asked students to make arguments about whether Jewish people deserve or need a homeland. The question was posed by a teacher to Grade 6 and 7 students in an elementary social studies exam.

B.C. school district investigates exam asking pupils to argue if Israel should exist

Home sales in Metro Vancouver fell nearly 20%

The number of homes changing hands in Metro Vancouver last month fell nearly 20 per cent from the same time last year, though new properties were coming online. Greater Vancouver Realtors says it recorded just over 27-hundred sales last month, down from 34-hundred sales recorded in May 2023.