Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that a byelection is to be held in Halifax on April 14.
The Halifax seat has been empty since Aug. 31, when longtime member of Parliament Andy Fillmore resigned to run for Halifax mayor.
A byelection must be called within six months of a new vacancy in the House of Commons.
If a general election is called before April 14, the byelection will be cancelled and its candidates would join the general election.
Fillmore held the Halifax seat as a Liberal for nine years, after first winning in the 2015 election.
Prior to Fillmore’s 2015 win, the seat had been held by NDP members since 1997.