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The Liberal Party announced Saturday afternoon that family physician Dr. Danielle Martin will be their candidate for the upcoming federal byelection in University-Rosedale, the downtown Toronto riding Chrystia Freeland held until she stepped down earlier this month.
Martin is the chair of the department of family and community medicine at the University of Toronto. In 2014, she defended Canada’s health care system before a partisan U.S. Senate committee — an act that received widespread attention at the time.
According to a biography distributed by the Liberal Party, Martin “will be a strong advocate for people across the riding.”
“She is ready to work with Mark Carney and the Liberal team to build a stronger economy, protect the vital programs workers and families rely on, and empower Canadians with more affordable living costs and more opportunities to get ahead,” the biography said.
WATCH | Martin defends Canada’s health-care system in front of U.S. senators:
Martin will be looking to succeed longtime Liberal MP Chrystia Freeland, who stepped down earlier this month after accepting a voluntary role advising Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Freeland, who has Ukrainian ancestry, was deputy prime minister between 2019 and 2024 and the country’s first woman to serve as finance minister. She has long been one of Canada’s most vocal opponents of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The onetime Liberal leader hopeful had represented University-Rosedale since 2015. It was carved out of a riding Freeland first won in 2013.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has not yet called a byelection in University-Rosedale.
According to Elections Canada, Carney must announce the date of the byelection between Jan. 20 and July 8, 2026. The earliest date the byelection can be held is March 2, 2026.