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A Pierre Poilievre campaign sign on a supporter’s fence in Camrose, Alta., on Aug. 11. A by-election win would return Mr. Poilievre to Parliament.Kyler Zeleny/The Globe and Mail
Voters in a sprawling riding in central Alberta are returning to the polls on Monday for the second time in four months in a federal by-election that is expected to return Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to Parliament.
Mr. Poilievre lost the Ottawa-area seat he had held for decades in the April general election, a blow that compounded the Conservative Party’s failure to defeat the governing Liberals after months of leading them in the polls.
The long-time MP in the riding of Battle River-Crowfoot volunteered to step aside to give Mr. Poilievre a spot to run. Damien Kurek had won nearly 83 per cent of the vote in April.
He spent much of the swiftly called race by Mr. Poilievre’s side to convince riding residents they should place their trust in the Conservative Leader. Mr. Kurek has described his resignation as temporary and said he would run again in the riding in the next general election.
A by-election win would return Mr. Poilievre to Parliament for the fall sitting, after he was sidelined during the brief sitting following the spring election.
Alberta by-election where Poilievre is running highlights need for electoral reform, protesters say
During that time, MP and former Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer served as Leader of the Opposition in the Commons, facing off with Prime Minister Mark Carney while Mr. Poilievre was relegated to press conferences in the foyer.
Parliament is scheduled to return on Sept. 15.
Despite Mr. Poilievre’s personal loss in April, dozens more Conservative MPs were elected, and before Parliament resumes, he’s likely to shake up the opposition front benches to push more of them into the spotlight.
How much of the vote share Mr. Poilievre gets on Monday will be closely watched. The results lay the groundwork for another major challenge coming his way: a leadership review in January.
That will see Conservative Party members decide whether he ought to stay on as leader in the wake of his general election failure. What percentage of their support he’ll consider an acceptable endorsement is unknown.
When asked recently whether his by-election result could determine his future as leader, Mr. Poilievre didn’t answer.
By-elections often see lower voter turnout than general elections, though Elections Canada reported 14,454 cast a ballot in advanced polls. In the April general election, that number was 14,434.
The vote Monday is also notable for the number of names on the ballot – more than 200.
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Many are affiliated with a movement called the Longest Ballot Committee. It seeks to protest the fact elected politicians have control over election law, arguing that is a conflict of interest, and it should be handled by a non-partisan body.
Their involvement in the by-election follows similar protests during the general election in Mr. Poilievre’s Ottawa riding, and prior to that in other by-elections.
Mr. Poilievre and others have called for legislative change to prevent such protests, with Mr. Poilievre going as far as calling their effort “a scam.”
The influx of candidates prompted Elections Canada for the first time to use a write-in ballot at polling stations.
Mr. Poilievre has been attacked during the by-election for being a parachute candidate who doesn’t have voters’ best interests at heart.
“We deserve representation,” independent candidate Bonnie Critchley, an army veteran, told The Globe and Mail in a recent interview.
“By taking a chunk of the vote share, I will tell him and the Conservative Party that we’re not impressed with this stunt.”
The Liberals, who finished a distant second in the riding in April, are running oil and gas executive Darcy Spady.
In the 2021 campaign, the NDP finished second. This time, the New Democrats are running Katherine Swampy.
The People’s Party of Canada, which finished third in 2021, is running Jonathan Bridges.
