Nine days in Beaches-East York: when an open nomination becomes a de facto appointment

When the nomination period lasts only nine days, information is difficult to locate, and when the membership deadline coincides with the day the vacancy officially arose, meaningful participation becomes extraordinarily difficult.

When Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, pictured, resigned his federal seat, Guri Pannu says the nomination campaign lasted only nine days, and when the nomination election was announced on July 9, members learned that only those who had joined the Liberal Party by July 7 would be eligible to vote. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Opinion

BY GURI PANNU

August 17, 2026

TORONTO—When I was 12 years old, my father took me to my first political meeting. I don't remember the speeches or the policies being debated. What I remember was the sense of community. Neighbours volunteered because they believed they could make a difference and that ord...

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