On June 30, Liberal Party of Canada candidates Arnold Chan and Adam Vaughan won by-elections in the federal ridings of Scarborough-Agincourt and Trinity-Spadina. 

In Trinity-Spadina, New Democratic Party (NDP) MP Olivia Chow resigned her seat in March to run in Toronto’s municipal election next October. In the riding of Scarborough-Agincourt, Jim Karygiannis, who held the seat as a Liberal MP since 1988, resigned in April to run for Toronto city council.

Vaughan, a two-term Toronto city councillor, attributed the party’s success to its focus on urban policy.

“The urban agenda is back, the Liberal Party is on the rise, and what won us the election tonight will win us the elections we need to form government in 2015,” Vaughan said.

A federal election is currently set for October 19, 2015.

In each of the nine federal by-elections since Justin Trudeau became leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, the party increased its vote share.

With files from The Globe and Mail