Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith says he’s seeking the Ontario Liberal Party’s nomination for an upcoming byelection and “exploring” a run for the party’s leadership in a potential switch from federal to provincial politics.
In a post on his blog Tuesday, Erskine-Smith said he wants to run in the provincial riding of Scarborough Southwest to replace NDP MPP and deputy party leader Doly Begum, who resigned on Tuesday to run as the Liberal candidate in the federal riding of the same name.
Begum will be running to replace outgoing MP and former Trudeau cabinet member Bill Blair, who Prime Minister Mark Carney on Monday appointed as Canada’s new high commissioner to the United Kingdom.
“Doly Begum has been a strong progressive representative, she’s going to make a great Liberal MP for our east end community, and I have no doubt that she’ll make a bigger difference as a member of our federal team,” wrote Erskine-Smith.
“I’ll continue to support Prime Minister Carney and our federal Liberal team,” he continued. “At the same time, I know that the biggest difference I can make is rebuilding our provincial Liberal party to deliver for Ontarians.
“To that end, I’ll seek the Ontario Liberal Party’s nomination to run in the Scarborough Southwest by-election. I’ve communicated this to interim leader John Fraser, and I will continue to support Prime Minister Carney as an active member of our federal caucus in the meantime.”
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The post then links to a campaign website that says Erskine-Smith is “exploring another run for the Ontario Liberal leadership.”
Global News asked Erskine-Smith’s office if he will resign as an MP as he seeks the provincial nomination and was told it’s too soon to say.
“Nate will remain an active member of the federal caucus,” his spokesperson Alex Spears said in an email. “There are a number of timelines around provincial and federal byelections that will need to be determined before we can comment in more detail.”
Neither byelection has been called yet.
Elections Canada said Tuesday that the byelection to replace Blair must be called no later than Aug. 1 and held between 36 and 50 days after it’s declared — meaning the earliest the federal vote can be held is March 23.
Erskine-Smith, who has represented the Toronto riding of Beaches-East York since 2015, sought the Ontario Liberal leadership in 2023.
He came in second behind winner Bonnie Crombie, who resigned from the leadership last month after losing her seat in the 2025 provincial election and following a less-than-expected showing in September’s leadership review.
Erskine-Smith briefly served as federal housing minister after Carney won the federal Liberal leadership last March, but did not return to cabinet following April’s general election.
The 41-year-old MP and former lawyer has been a sometimes-vocal critic of government policies and hosts a podcast where he has featured both Carney and former prime minister Justin Trudeau.
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