Poilievre Secures Alberta By-Election Victory, Returns to Parliament

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has won a federal by-election in the Alberta riding of Battle River-Crowfoot, setting the stage for his return to the House of Commons after he failed to win his Ottawa-area riding in April’s election.

Mr. Poilievre was leading by about 5,500 votes with almost 20 per cent of polls reporting just over an hour after voting closed.

“Thank you very much to the great people of Battle River-Crowfoot,” Mr. Poilievre told supporters at a gathering in the riding. "If I stand before you here today, it is by the grace of God and the good generosity of so many people." He believed his wife, Anaida, was the most important person in his life.

"Getting to know the people in this region has been the greatest privilege of my life," Mr. Poilievre told the audience.

"I've had a hell of a lot of fun."

Mr. Poilievre has been unable to challenge Prime Minister Mark Carney in the House of Commons because he does not have a seat. Instead, he has been obliged to address complaints about federal Liberal policy from the political sidelines.

Despite his victory in the by-election on Monday, Mr. Poilievre will confront new hurdles. Members of the Conservative Party will vote on Pierre Poilievre’s leadership in January, following the party’s defeat in the general election. In the meantime, voters in a long-overlooked region of Alberta are placing their hopes on him for a brighter future.

Damien Kurek, the Conservative MP first elected in 2019 and re-elected in April with 82.8% of the vote, stepped aside to allow Poilievre to run for a seat in Parliament. Poilievre had lost his Ottawa-area constituency in April to Liberal challenger Bruce Fanjoy, ending a parliamentary tenure he had held since 2004.

On the campaign trail in Battle River–Crowfoot, a vast eastern Alberta riding spanning more than 53,000 square kilometers, Poilievre promised to deliver national leadership while addressing local challenges.

The by-election drew the attention of the Longest Ballot Committee, a protest group that advocates for electoral reform through ballot stacking. Previously, the group flooded Poilievre’s Ottawa ballot with 91 candidates. This time, it registered 214 candidates in Battle River–Crowfoot, 201 of them affiliated with the protest group. Ironically, the outcome produced the shortest ballot possible: Elections Canada ruled that instead of printing names, all votes would be cast by write-in, provided the voter’s intent was clear.

Former chief electoral officer officials criticized the move as an “abuse of process.” As a result, Elections Canada added extra staff, began advance ballot counts earlier, and confirmed that more than 14,000 residents voted in advance polls out of 86,000 eligible voters.

During the campaign, Poilievre called for reforms to election laws. House Leader Steven MacKinnon’s office confirmed that the administration is reviewing the matter.

Poilievre faced three opponents in the by-election: Liberal candidate Darcy Spady, NDP candidate Katherine Swampy, and independent Bonnie Critchley. The results must still be formally validated, with certification scheduled for Saturday. Only after the Chief Electoral Officer issues the certificate can a swearing-in ceremony take place. The House of Commons, currently on summer recess until September 15, has no fixed timeline for the ceremony.

Meanwhile, Ontario Premier Doug Ford urged cooperation if Poilievre returns to Parliament. “This is Team Canada,” Ford said after meeting Prime Minister Mark Carney on Parliament Hill. “Let’s put our political differences aside and work together on major infrastructure projects and other areas of cooperation with the federal government.”