A federal byelection is scheduled to take place on March 4 in the Conservative stronghold of Durham, Ontario. The vacancy was left by Erin O’Toole in the spring of last year. O’Toole served as the official Opposition leader from August 2020 until February 2022 and was first elected as a member of Parliament in 2012.
The Conservatives have chosen Jamil Jivani, a lawyer and commentator, as their candidate to replace O’Toole. Meanwhile, the Liberals have nominated Robert Rock, a councillor in Scugog, Ontario. Interestingly, Rock initially sought the Conservative nomination but decided to run for the Liberals because he felt the Conservative party no longer represented his values. The NDP have nominated Chris Borgia, president of the Durham Region Labour Council.