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2026 North Vancouver—Capilano federal by-election

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2026 North Vancouver—Capilano federal by-election
← 2025
August 31, 2026
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Riding of North Vancouver—Capilano
Turnout45.60% (Decrease 26.05)
  First party Second party Third party
 
LPC
CPC
Grn
Candidate Braeden Caley Stephen Curran Shelley Luce
Party Liberal Conservative Green
Last election 59.83% 33.68% 1.70%
Popular vote 23,805 11,852 3,534
Percentage 58.55% 29.15% 8.69%
Swing Decrease 1.27 Decrease 4.52 Increase 6.99
MP before election

Jonathan Wilkinson[a]
Liberal

 Elected MP

Braeden Caley
Liberal

A by-election is currently being held on August 31, 2026, to elect a member of Parliament (MP) to represent North Vancouver—Capilano, British Columbia, in the House of Commons for the remainder of the 45th Parliament following the resignation of Liberal MP Jonathan Wilkinson.[1]

Background

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Early speculation

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Liberal MP Jonathan Wilkinson had represented the North Shore in the House of Commons since the 2015 Canadian federal election and was re-elected in North Vancouver—Capilano in the 2025 Canadian federal election.[2]

Following Prime Minister Mark Carney's cabinet reshuffle in May 2025, Wilkinson was dropped from Cabinet after serving as a minister for seven years.[3] His departure prompted speculation that he might vacate his seat before the next general election, as political observers noted that former cabinet ministers are often appointed to diplomatic posts.[4][5]

In a 2025 report, The Hill Times noted that Wilkinson was being considered for diplomatic postings in either Germany or Belgium.[5] Wilkinson said at the time that he intended to continue serving his constituents, indicating that he had not yet decided whether to accept an appointment.[5]

Announcement

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On April 30, 2026, Wilkinson announced that Carney had asked him to serve as Canada's ambassador to the European Union and that he would resign as an MP once a formal transition date had been set.[6] His resignation took effect on June 19, 2026.[7]

Constituency

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North Vancouver—Capilano is a suburban riding in the North Shore including the entirety of the City of North Vancouver, part of the District of North Vancouver and the easternmost part of West Vancouver, including Park Royal Shopping Centre, Sentinel Hill and all of Ambleside.

Timing

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The Chief Electoral Officer received formal notification of the vacancy from the Speaker of the House of Commons on June 22, 2026.[8] The date of the by-election had to be announced between July 3 and December 19, 2026. The by-election had to be held on a Monday, at least 36 days but no more than 50 days after it was announced. Accordingly, the earliest date the by-election could have been held was August 10, 2026, and the latest was February 2, 2027.[8] On July 26, 2026, the writ was issued for a by-election on August 31, 2026.[1] Two other federal by-elections in Chicoutimi—Le Fjord and Beaches—East York will be held on the same day.

Candidates

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New Democratic Party

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On August 5, 2026, community activist Stephen Tweedale won a contested nomination meeting to become the NDP candidate.[9] Tweedale had served on the local riding association executive and worked as a constituency assistant for North Vancouver-Seymour MLA Susie Chant.[9]

NDP leader Avi Lewis, who does not hold a seat in Parliament and had previously contested the bordering ridings of Vancouver Centre and West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, was discussed in media reports as a potential candidate in North Vancouver—Capilano.[10] Lewis ruled out seeking the nomination in May 2026.[11]

Liberal Party

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On July 18, 2026, the Liberals nominated Braeden Caley, Deputy Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Mark Carney, as their candidate.[12] Caley previously served as president and chief executive officer of Canada 2020, a public policy think-tank.[9]

Conservative Party

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The Conservative Party nominated Stephen Curran, a transactional lawyer and the party's candidate in the 2025 federal election, on March 5, 2026.[13][11]

Other candidates

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The Green Party nominated environmental scientist and non-profit executive Shelley Luce on July 15, 2026.[14][15] The People's Party of Canada ran engineer Ehsan Arjmand, who previously contested the riding for the party in 2025.[14][15]

Jeff Monds ran as an independent candidate affiliated with the unregistered Libertarian Party of Canada, which had been deregistered by Elections Canada in March 2026.[14][16] Monds previously ran as a Libertarian candidate in Delta—Richmond East in 2011, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission in 2008, and in multiple provincial elections for the British Columbia Libertarian Party.[15]

Opinion polling

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Polling firm Last date
of polling		 Link LPC CPC NDP GPC PPC Sample
size		 Lead
PoliwaveAugust 19, 2026[17] 46.8 30.3 11.9 10.8 0.2 528 16.5

Result

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Canadian federal by-election, August 31, 2026: North Vancouver—Capilano
Resignation of Jonathan Wilkinson
Party Candidate Votes%±%
LiberalBraeden Caley23,73958.73–1.09
ConservativeStephen Curran11,79129.17–4.50
GreenShelley Luce3,4618.56+6.86
New DemocraticStephen Tweedale1,2423.07–1.17
People'sEhsan Arjmand1330.33–0.07
IndependentJeff Monds510.13—
Total valid votes 40,421
Total rejected ballots 179
Turnout 40,65445.60-26.05
Eligible voters 89,154
Liberal hold Swing +1.63
Source: Elections Canada

Previous result

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2025 Canadian federal election: North Vancouver—Capilano
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
LiberalJonathan Wilkinson37,90759.82+15.13$127,665.30
ConservativeStephen Curran21,33933.68+4.30$108,928.99
New DemocraticTammy Bentz2,6844.24–14.82$37,474.25
GreenAndrew Robinson1,0761.70–2.57$20,398.54
People'sEhsan Arjmand2560.40–2.17$660.53
IndependentOliver King1020.16–none listed
Total valid votes/expense limit 63,36499.39–$133,984.48
Total rejected ballots 3900.61–0.03
Turnout 63,75471.65+6.98
Eligible voters 88,977
Liberal hold Swing +5.42
Source: Elections Canada[18][19]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ↑ Wilkinson resigned his seat on June 19, 2026.

References

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  1. 1 2 "Carney calls August byelections for 3 ridings in Ontario, Quebec and B.C." CBC News. July 26, 2026. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Election results since 2025: North Vancouver—Capilano". Elections Canada. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  3. ↑ Alegre, J. P. (May 15, 2025). "Carney's New Cabinet Leaves Veteran Minister Wilkinson on Sidelines". the deep dive. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  4. ↑ Rana, Abbas (September 8, 2025). "Former Liberal MP Sorbara joins Finance Minister Champagne's office" (PDF). The Hill Times. p. 19.
  5. 1 2 3 Rana, Abbas (September 8, 2025). "Former Liberal MP Sorbara joins Finance Minister Champagne's office" (PDF). The Hill Times. p. 19.
  6. ↑ Richter, Brent (May 1, 2026). "North Vancouver—Capilano MP Jonathan Wilkinson stepping down for diplomatic post". North Shore News. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  7. ↑ Major, Darren (June 23, 2026). "Byelection clock ticking as MPs officially resign. How does it impact Liberals' majority?". CBC News. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
  8. 1 2 "A Federal Seat Is Vacant in North Vancouver—Capilano". Elections Canada. June 22, 2026. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 Richter, Brent (August 7, 2026). "NDP nominate Stephen Tweedale for North Vancouver-Capilano byelection". North Shore News. Lodestar Media. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
  10. ↑ Béland, Daniel (May 2, 2026). "Alexandre Boulerice and the Future of the Left in Québec". Policy Magazine. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  11. 1 2 Richter, Brent (May 1, 2026). "North Vancouver-Capilano MP Jonathan Wilkinson stepping down for diplomatic post". North Shore News. Lodestar Media. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  12. ↑ Brooke, Mary P (July 18, 2026). "Liberals announce their North Vancouver-Capilano by-election candidate". Island Social Trends. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Nomination Contest Database". Elections Canada. March 5, 2026. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  14. 1 2 3 Luciano, Abby (August 13, 2026). "Everything you need to know about the North Vancouver-Capilano federal byelection". North Shore News. Lodestar Media. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  15. 1 2 3 "Confirmed candidates — North Vancouver–Capilano". Elections Canada. August 12, 2026. Retrieved August 26, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Deregistration of the Libertarian Party of Canada". Elections Canada. March 3, 2026. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Poliwave riding polls for 3 upcoming federal elections on August 31st". Poliwave. August 24, 2026. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Forty-Fifth General Election 2025 — Poll-by-poll Results: North Vancouver—Capilano". elections.ca. Elections Canada. 2025.
  19. ↑ Canada, Chief Electoral Officer (2025). "Candidate Campaign Returns, 2025 General Election: Part 3C – Summary of Electoral Campaign Expenses and Other Outflows – Election expenses subject to the limit – Total". elections.ca. Elections Canada. Expenses are reported "as amended" where amendments have been filed; otherwise, they are reported "as submitted".
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