Liberal MP Shaun Chen to Resign Scarborough North Seat Over Health Issues
Liberal MP Shaun Chen plans to resign his seat in Scarborough North at the end of this week, citing health issues stemming from a car accident in late 2025.
Chen said in a statement on social media that he was in a serious motor vehicle accident in late fall 2025 while commuting to Ottawa. The crash caused health problems that have kept him from travelling to the capital as often as the role requires. He said he will step down on Saturday. (The Globe and Mail; CP24)
Prime Minister Mark Carney thanked Chen for his advocacy for young people and his work to combat racism.
Chen was first elected in 2015, after serving as chair of the Toronto District School Board. He has held the Scarborough North seat since then, through several federal elections that reshaped the Liberal caucus around him.
His resignation adds to a growing list of MPs leaving their seats over the summer, thinning the ranks of the House of Commons at a time when several parties are already managing open seats and pending by-elections. For the Liberals, losing an incumbent who has held a Greater Toronto Area seat since 2015 removes someone with deep roots in both the education sector and the party's organizational base in the 416 region.
The process that follows is set out under the Canada Elections Act. Once Chen's resignation takes effect, the Speaker will inform the Chief Electoral Officer, and a by-election in Scarborough North must be called within 180 days. In practice, the governing party decides the timing. A by-election is a separate election held in a single riding to fill a vacant seat between general elections. Scarborough North has been a Liberal seat since it was created for the 2015 election, but like many GTA ridings, its margins have narrowed and shifted along with broader trends across the Toronto suburbs. How each party approaches the eventual vote will depend on the political calendar when the writ drops.
For the Liberal caucus, Chen's departure removes another experienced GTA voice while the Carney government is still finding its footing. His policy interests, particularly in anti-racism work and youth advocacy, are areas the Prime Minister's Office singled out in its response to the resignation, suggesting those files will need new caucus champions.
The personal circumstances stand out. Injuries from a commuting accident that persist for months and ultimately make parliamentary service unworkable are not a common reason for mid-term resignations. MPs have stepped down for health reasons before, but the detail that Chen's accident happened while travelling to Ottawa places the matter in the context of the demands placed on parliamentarians, especially those representing ridings several hundred kilometres from Parliament Hill. The weekly commute between Toronto and Ottawa is a routine feature of life for GTA-area MPs, and an injury that interferes with that travel pattern has a direct effect on constituency representation and caucus participation.
Chen's statement framed the decision as one forced by circumstance, not chosen on political grounds. A serious accident, prolonged health consequences, and the inability to meet the travel demands of the role together make a straightforward case for a sitting MP to step aside, even at the cost of a safe seat mid-parliament.
What remains is the procedural sequence: the resignation Saturday, the Speaker's notification, and the eventual by-election. All of that unfolds against the backdrop of a summer that has already seen a steady stream of departures from the House of Commons, leaving several ridings across the country awaiting contests that will test party organizations at the local level.
