2026 North Vancouver—Capilano federal by-election
By-election in Canada
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A by-election will be 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]
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August 31, 2026
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Riding of North Vancouver—Capilano | |||||||||||||||||
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Background
Early speculation
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
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
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
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
New Democratic Party
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
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
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
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
Result
| Canadian federal by-election, August 31, 2026: North Vancouver—Capilano Resignation of Jonathan Wilkinson | ||||||||
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| The by-election will be held on August 31, 2026. | ||||||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Liberal | Braeden Caley | |||||||
| Conservative | Stephen Curran | |||||||
| New Democratic | Stephen Tweedale | |||||||
| Green | Shelley Luce | |||||||
| People's | Ehsan Arjmand | |||||||
| Independent | Jeff Monds | |||||||
| Total valid votes | ||||||||
| Total rejected ballots | ||||||||
| Turnout | ||||||||
| Eligible voters | 88,358 | |||||||
| Source: Elections Canada | ||||||||
Previous result
| 2025 Canadian federal election: North Vancouver—Capilano | ||||||||
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| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Jonathan Wilkinson | 37,907 | 59.82 | +15.13 | $127,665.30 | |||
| Conservative | Stephen Curran | 21,339 | 33.68 | +4.30 | $108,928.99 | |||
| New Democratic | Tammy Bentz | 2,684 | 4.24 | –14.82 | $37,474.25 | |||
| Green | Andrew Robinson | 1,076 | 1.70 | –2.57 | $20,398.54 | |||
| People's | Ehsan Arjmand | 256 | 0.40 | –2.17 | $660.53 | |||
| Independent | Oliver King | 102 | 0.16 | – | none listed | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 63,364 | 99.39 | – | $133,984.48 | ||||
| Total rejected ballots | 390 | 0.61 | –0.03 | |||||
| Turnout | 63,754 | 71.65 | +6.98 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 88,977 | |||||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | +5.42 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[18][19] | ||||||||
See also
Notes
- The seat was held by Jonathan Wilkinson (Liberal) until his resignation on June 19, 2026.