Now former deputy chief of staff to the prime minister, Braden Caley is the by-election candidate for North Vancouver-Capilano, July 2026. [CP photo – web]
Saturday July 18, 2026 | NORTH VANCOUVER, BC [Posted at 11:30 am PT]
Political analysis by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
The Liberal Party of Canada has announced that Braeden Caley will be the Liberal candidate for North Vancouver—Capilano in the upcoming federal by-election.
Caley has spent 20 years at BC and federal government and public policy. He has worked in two BC MP constituency offices and advised Vancouver municipal leaders. Most recently, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Mark Carney.
He is described by the party as an experienced public policy leader who has worked with Mark Carney to protect the economy and workers.
“Braeden Caley has spent his career turning ambitious ideas into real results for Canadians and he has the experience needed to deliver the serious solutions this crucial moment demands,” said Sachit Mehra, President of the Liberal Party of Canada in a news release today.
The Liberal Party president says that Caley “will work tirelessly with Mark Carney and our new Liberal team in Parliament to build a stronger, safer, and more prosperous future for the hardworking people of North Vancouver—Capilano”.
Decisive time:
“This is a decisive time for our community and for Canada,” said candidate Caley.
“I’m running to be the strongest voice for the hardworking people of North Vancouver–Capilano as part of Mark Carney’s new Liberal team, and to deliver on your priorities — building a stronger, more sustainable economy, bringing down costs, and building the local infrastructure and homes we need for a growing North Shore.”
A few days ago, the Green Party announced their candidate for North Vancouver-Capilano. The Conservatives and the NDP have yet to announce candidates.
The coastal urban metro Vancouver-area riding of North Vancouver-Capilano has consistently voted Liberal when now-Ambassador to the EU Jonathan Wilkinson was the Member of Parliament (2015 to 2026). Over the years, Wilkinson held ministerial files in Environment and then Energy.
Hand-picking a senior in-house Liberal staffer to run in a by-election is considered a safe bet for the party. Having someone that close to the prime minister’s office run for elected office seems aligned with Carney’s technocratic approach to governance.
House majority:
The Liberals have operated with a slim majority (effective or de facto) for most of the 45th Parliament under Carney’s leadership.
Party Standings in the House of Commons – July 18, 2026 [House of Commons]
Currently the Liberals have 172 seats out of 343, giving them the slimmest possible technical majority. That’s up from the 169 they won in the Spring 2025 election, due to floor crossings and by-elections.
The Conservatives currently have 139 seats (having lost some MPs who crossed over to the Liberals), with the Bloc Quebecois at 21 seats.
The NDP has five seats, the Greens one, and there is one Independent.
Technically four seats are currently vacant.
Six by-elections:
There are as many as six federal by-elections coming up this summer and/or fall, but not all at once.
That includes the one in North Vancouver-Capilano, three in Quebec (to replace three resigned MPs – one Liberal, one Bloc, one NDP), one in Ontario (where Nate Erskine-Smith seeks other levels of government leadership), and one in Saskatchewan where Conservative Cathay Wagantall has said she will resign her seat on August 31.
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