2026 Scarborough Southwest provincial by-election

Not to be confused with 2026 Scarborough Southwest federal by-election.

A by-election will be held in the provincial riding of Scarborough Southwest in Ontario, Canada, following the resignation of incumbent NDP MPP Doly Begum on February 3, 2026. ^[1]

Background

On February 2, 2026, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that Bill Blair, a former cabinet minister, would resign as member of Parliament for the federal riding of Scarborough Southwest to accept an appointment as Canada’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. Blair had previously served as minister of public safety and minister of national defence. ^{[2] [3]}

On February 3, the Liberal Party of Canada announced Doly Begum as their candidate for the resulting by-election. Begum was serving as member of Provincial Parliament for the provincial riding of Scarborough Southwest and the Deputy Leader of the ONDP. She resigned from her seat on the same day as well as the ONDP. ^{[1] [4]}

Candidates

• Nathaniel Erskine-Smith (seeking Liberal nomination) ^[5]

Previous result

v t e 2025 Ontario general election : Scarborough Southwest
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	New Democratic	Doly Begum	14,557	42.89	–4.79	$120,161
	Progressive Conservative	Addie Dramola	10,400	30.65	+3.05	$45,342
	Liberal	Qadira Jackson	7,786	22.94	+4.38	$39,544
	Green	Mark Bekkering	1,194	3.52	–0.02	$3,247
Total valid votes/expense limit			33,937	99.31	±0.00	$131,827
Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots			235	0.69	±0.00
Turnout			34,172	41.96	–2.38
Eligible voters			81,434
	New Democratic hold		Swing		–3.92
Source: Elections Ontario [6]

See also

• List of Ontario by-elections

References

1. Westoll, Nick (2026-02-03). "Ontario NDP deputy leader Doly Begum resigning, named federal Liberal candidate to succeed Bill Blair". CityNews Toronto. Retrieved 2026-02-04.
2. Robertson, Dylan (2026-02-02). "Bill Blair to resign Toronto seat, become next high commissioner to U.K." The Globe and Mail . Retrieved 2026-02-02.
3. Press, The Canadian (2026-02-02). "Bill Blair resigning seat, will become next high commissioner to U.K." CTV News . Retrieved 2026-02-02.
4. "Ontario NDP MPP resigns to run for federal Liberals in upcoming byelection". Global News. February 3, 2026. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
5. Talbot, Michael (2026-02-03). "Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith to seek nomination in provincial Scarborough riding being vacated by NDP's Doly Begum". CityNews Toronto. Retrieved 2026-02-04.
6. "Vote Totals From Official Tabulation" (PDF). Elections Ontario. 3 March 2025. Retrieved 4 March 2025.