Arturo Chang

Heath MacDonald has officially resigned his seat as an MLA in the P.E.I. Legislature.

MacDonald is exiting provincial politics&nbsp;to run as the Liberal candidate for Malpeque in the federal election. He'd been the&nbsp;MLA for Cornwall-Meadowbank&nbsp;since being elected in 2015.&nbsp;

MacDonald served as minister of tourism and economic development&nbsp;under Wade MacLauchlan's Liberals and later became minister of finance. He was also third-party house leader from 2019 to 2021.

Premier Dennis King now has six months to call a byelection. He says he wants the new MLA to join the legislature this fall, and that the byelection could be called during a brief window after the federal vote but before the house sits.

As such, the byelection could take place as soon as Oct. 18.

Here are the candidates running in Malpeque

Malpeque is the riding covering the rural, central area of P.E.I.

Amy MacPherson, owner of Fisherman’s Wharf Lobster Suppers in North Rustico, P.E.I., says they plan to reopen in 2021

Fisherman's Wharf

The fishing industry is a significant part of the Malpeque riding.

Liberals aim to hold P.E.I. in federal election

As Canada heads into a federal election, the storyline on P.E.I. remains the same as it has for three decades.

A woman marks her ballot behind a privacy barrier in the riding of Vaudreuil-Soulanges, west of Montreal, on October 19, 2015. Elections Canada has scrapped plans to use social media "influencers" to persuade young Canadians to register to vote in this fall's federal election

Elections Canada Influencers 20190620

MacDonald will be running to replace Liberal MP Wayne Easter, who's held the seat since 1993 but isn't&nbsp;seeking re-election.

Anna Keenan and Jody Sanderson will also be running in the riding as the Green and Conservative candidates respectively.

The federal election will take place Sept. 20.

Lack of diversity in P.E.I. federal candidate list called 'disappointing'

The majority of candidates running in P.E.I. this federal election are once again white men.

Ballot boxes at a polling station in Charlottetown.

Elections P.E.I. ballot boxes at a polling station in Charlottetown during the P.E.I. election, April 23, 2019.

Ballot Boxes on P.E.I.

'This is a process that takes time and time is something that you ... don't have when it comes to a snap election,' says Sweta Daboo, executive director of the P.E.I. Coalition for Women in Government. 

P.E.I. federal election candidates kick off campaigns with COVID-19 precautions

Prince Edward Island's candidates for the upcoming federal election have already begun knocking on doors — and each of them have different approaches to campaigning during a pandemic. 

Margaret Andrade

Margaret Andrade, the NDP candidate for Charlottetown, says she's requiring her campaign team to be vaccinated.

Heath MacDonald is the Liberal candidate in the federal riding of Malpeque.

Heath MacDonald officially resigns as MLA to run in federal election

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