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What the bill does

• Bill C-278 would amend the Parliament of Canada Act to provide for a House of Commons seat to become vacant when its holder joins a registered political party after having been endorsed by a different registered party—or by no registered party—in the last election.
• The person would cease to be a member of the House, and a process to call a by-election would follow.

Who is affected

• The bill applies to MPs who join a registered party after being elected with another registered party’s endorsement or without a registered party’s endorsement.
• It also assigns duties to the leader of the party the person joins, the Speaker and the Chief Electoral Officer.

Procedure and deadlines

• The new party’s leader must notify the Speaker in writing without delay.
• On receiving the notice, the Speaker must send a warrant to the Chief Electoral Officer for a writ to elect a member to fill the vacancy.
• If there is no Speaker, the Speaker is absent from Canada, or the Speaker is the person whose seat is vacated, the party leader must send the warrant instead.

Status and limits

• The bill was at first reading on June 2, 2026.
• The provided text does not specify costs or a coming-into-force date.