On Thursday, August 15, 2019 the Chief Electoral Officer, Stéphane Perrault, received official notice from the Speaker of the House of Commons that the seat for Calgary Forest Lawn (Alberta) is vacant.
This vacancy occurred less than nine months before a fixed-date general election. Therefore, no by-election will be held for Calgary Forest Lawn before the general election date, which was fixed under the Canada Elections Act for October 21, 2019.
The Elections Modernization Act received Royal Assent on December 13, 2018. It includes an amendment to the Parliament of Canada Act that prohibits by-elections for vacancies that occur less than nine months before a fixed-date general election. That amendment, along with a number of others, came into force on January 19, 2019, via a notice by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in the Canada Gazette.
Elections Canada is an independent, non-partisan agency that reports directly to Parliament.