Durham

Durham is a federal electoral district in Ontario, located east of Toronto in the Regional Municipality of Durham. The by-election of March 4, 2024 was called following the resignation of Conservative MP Erin O'Toole, the former leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Official Opposition. O'Toole announced his departure in March 2023 after over a decade in elected office, and his resignation took effect on August 1, 2023.

Candidates

Jamil Jivani (Conservative) — Jivani is a lawyer, author, and broadcaster. He earned his Juris Doctor from Yale Law School and practiced corporate law at Torys LLP in Toronto. He is the author of the 2018 book Why Young Men and founded the Policing Literacy Initiative. He previously served as Ontario's advocate for community opportunities under Premier Doug Ford.

Robert Rock (Liberal) — Rock is a municipal councillor representing Ward 3 in the Township of Scugog, a position he has held since 2021. He initially sought the Conservative nomination for a Greater Toronto Area riding before running for the Liberal Party.

Chris Borgia (NDP) — Borgia is an electrician and education coordinator who served as president of the Durham Region Labour Council. He previously ran as the provincial NDP candidate in Durham in the 2022 Ontario general election.

Patricia Conlin (People's Party) — Conlin ran as the People's Party of Canada candidate in the by-election.

Kevin MacKenzie (Green Party) — MacKenzie ran as the Green Party candidate in the riding.

About the Riding

Durham is a geographically diverse riding that encompasses the western half of the Municipality of Clarington, northern Oshawa (north of Taunton Road), and all of Scugog Township, including the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation. Bowmanville is the riding's largest community, while other centres include Newcastle, Orono, Port Perry, and the northern reaches of Oshawa.

The landscape transitions from suburban residential development in the south to rolling farmland, small towns, and Lake Scugog in the north. Highway 401 runs through the southern portion, connecting the riding to the Greater Toronto Area, while the northern areas retain a distinctly rural character with active agricultural operations.

The 2021 census recorded a population of approximately 121,800. English is the dominant language at nearly 82 percent. The economy is mixed, with manufacturing, logistics, and energy sectors concentrated in the Clarington and south Oshawa corridors—notably the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station—while agriculture, tourism, and small business dominate the northern townships. The median individual income was $45,600 in 2020.