OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is poised to call byelections in three federal ridings within days and now he has a fourth vacant riding he may choose to fill at the same time.
Sheila Malcolmson has officially resigned as the New Democrat MP for the British Columbia riding of Nanaimo-Ladysmith.
She is leaving the federal stage to run in a provincial byelection, called Wednesday by Premier John Horgan for Jan. 30.
Malcolmson says she sent a letter to House of Commons Speaker Geoff Regan on Nov. 27, informing him that her resignation would take effect on Jan. 2.
In addition to Nanaimo-Ladysmith, there are three other vacant ridings: the B.C. riding of Burnaby South, where NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is hoping to win a seat in the Commons, the Ontario riding of York-Simcoe, left open by the resignation of Conservative MP Peter Van Loan, and the Montreal riding of Outremont, where former NDP leader Tom Mulcair has resigned.
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Trudeau’s office has confirmed the prime minister intends to call byelections in those three ridings early this month, with the votes taking place in early February.