Voting begins for byelections as Trump trade war looms over Canadians

Voting commenced on Monday for three federal byelections in Canada, as citizens face the impact of escalating U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war against Canada. The polls opened in the Ontario riding of Beaches-East York and the Quebec riding of Chicoutimi-Le Fjord, with North Vancouver-Capilano in British Columbia also holding its first round of voting at 7 a.m. Pacific time.

According to preliminary data from Elections Canada, 39,500 Canadians have already cast their votes in advance polls. North Vancouver-Capilano led the early turnout, with 16,700 voters, followed by Beaches-East York with 11,800 and Chicoutimi-Le Fjord with 11,000.

The Liberal Party aims to retain its hold on North Vancouver-Capilano, a seat they've held since 2015. Currently, former MP and Canada's ambassador to the European Union Jonathan Wilkinson vacated the seat to assume the role. In Beaches-East York, former Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith is running for Toronto City Council after failing to secure the provincial Liberal nomination.

In Chicoutimi-Le Fjord, the seat became vacant when Prime Minister Mark Carney appointed Conservative MP Richard Martel to the Senate. A recent Ipsos poll for Global News shows that 44% of Canadians would vote for the Liberals if an election were held today, compared to 33% for the Conservatives, 10% for the NDP, and 8% for the Bloc. The highest support for the Liberals was in British Columbia (46%) and Ontario (46%), while Quebec saw 37% backing the governing party and 33% supporting the Bloc Québécois.

Public opinion across all three provinces indicates strong support for Canada maintaining its stance against the U.S. proposed deal, despite potential higher tariffs and economic consequences. Approximately 65% of residents in British Columbia and Ontario agree with this decision, with 57% of Quebec residents expressing the same sentiment.