Carney says six upcoming byelections will likely be spread out

Prime Minister Mark Carney says the six byelections to fill current and upcoming vacancies in the House of Commons won’t likely be held all at the same time.

Carney said in French he has not yet decided when the byelections will take place, but he does have to account for factors like the provincial election in Quebec, scheduled for Oct. 5.

B.C. Liberal MP Jonathan Wilkinson and former Bloc Québécois MP Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay both formally resigned their seats last week.

Former Liberal cabinet minister Steven Guilbeault and Nathaniel Erskine-Smith have both said they plan to resign their seats this summer but have not given a firm date.

Alexandre Boulerice, a former NDP caucus member who now sits as an independent Quebec MP, is also expected to resign to run in the Quebec election.

Saskatchewan Conservative Cathay Wagantall said she will resign her seat on Aug. 31, after previously saying she did not plan to seek re-election.

David Baxter, The Canadian Press