Federal byelections set for Whitby-Oshawa, Yellowhead in Alberta

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has set Nov. 17 for two federal byelections one each in Ontario and Albertaincluding the seat occupied by late finance minister Jim Flaherty.

Voters will go to the polls in Whitby-Oshawa in Ontario and Yellowhead in Alberta.

Both seats were held by the Tories.

• Race to fill Flaherty's seat gets underway

The Whitby-Oshawa riding was vacated with Flaherty's death this April, while former Yellowhead MP Rob Merrifield bowed out last month to work as that province's envoy to the U.S.

Harper himself made a campaign-style stop in Whitby this week, announcing his government will be doubling the child fitness tax credit as promised.

Whoever wins the ridings will spend less than a year in office before hitting the campaign trail again, as the national voting day is Oct. 19, 2015, unless the government chooses to drop the writ sooner.