Trudeau calls byelection in Calgary Heritage for July 24

Voters in the federal riding of Calgary Heritage will go to the polls late next month.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced a byelection will be held in the Alberta riding on July 24 after Conservative MP Bob Benzen resigned his seat in Calgary Heritage at the end of last year.

Benzen easily won re-election in 2021, with New Democrat Kathleen Johnson placing second and Liberal Scott Forsyth coming third.

The latest call comes as Elections Canada says it will open an office in Calgary Heritage soon and as voters cast ballots Monday in four other byelections across the country.

In a statement from the office of the minister of intergovernmental affairs, the federal government also says measures that were brought in to protect the four byelections from any potential foreign interference will be applied to the Calgary Heritage electoral district.

The statement adds a security and intelligence task force will be monitoring and assessing foreign interference threats during the byelection period.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 18, 2023.