Prime Minister Mark Carney has called a byelection for the Alberta riding of Battle River-Crowfoot, where Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is expected to compete to regain a seat in the House of Commons.
The byelection was called on Monday, two weeks after Damien Kurek, the Conservative MP for the riding, officially resigned to allow Poilievre to run.
Election day will be Aug. 18.
“It would be an honour to represent the people of Battle River–Crowfoot on the floor of the House of Commons as their Member of Parliament,” Poilievre said in a statement on social media.
“I will work hard and with humility to earn the support of the great people in this extraordinary region.”
Kurek posted a photo of what appeared to be a Poilievre campaign sign to his X account Monday.
Poilievre lost his seat of Carleton in Ontario during the April federal election. He had represented the Ottawa riding for 20 years.
Shortly after the federal election, Kurek announced he planned to step aside so Poilievre could run in what has been a Conservative seat since 2015. Kurek has held the seat since 2019, getting more than 70 per cent of the vote in each election.
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While he remains as party leader, Poilievre has been unable to serve as Opposition leader and question the party in the chamber, where Andrew Scheer serves on an interim basis.
Winning the byelection would give Poilievre his path back to the House of Commons, something Calgary-based pollster and political commentator Janet Brown says is nearly a sure-thing.
“It seems almost inconceivable that Pierre Poilievre could lose this byelection,” says Brown. “It is such a safe seat for a conservative… the big question is how many other names are on the ballot.”
The Liberal Party announced Monday it has nominated Darcy Spady, an engineer and Alberta energy industry advisor, as its candidate in the byelection.
“While Pierre Poilievre looks out for himself in this byelection, Darcy is ready to work with Mark Carney and our Liberal team to bring down costs, create good-paying jobs, and build an economy that serves everyone,” party president Sachit Mehra said in a statement.
Spady pledged in a statement to voters that he’s running to “fight for your priorities and build a stronger Alberta and Canada.”
Whoever ends up on the ballot will have to deal with the question of separatism. It’s a topic that has been in the spotlight lately, with separatist candidates on the ballot for a provincial byelection earlier this month. Experts says it’s an issue that becomes more complicated for someone running as a leader of a federal party.
“(Poilievre) will become an MP representing Alberta,” says Brown. “He’s going to have his work cut out for him to be sufficiently sympathetic to separatists in his riding and their frustrations but also holding ground when it comes to his own views on keeping Alberta in confederation.”
The mayor of Three Hills, a town in the Battle River-Corwfoot riding, says while separation is a topic of conversation in rural Alberta, the separatist candidate in his community only got 12 per cent of the vote in last week’s provincial byelection.
“We need to look at everything in the long-term and understand the impacts of all these things they’re proposing to change,” says Ray Wildeman. “Let’s not lose sight of the fact that we need a strong nation, we don’t need divisive mentality at this point.”
But Wildeman says there is optimism to have the federal conservative represent his community in Ottawa, helping elevate some of the issues facing the riding.
“I think he (Poilievre) could be an excellent advocate for the view that counter those of Mr. Carney,” says Wildeman. “I think Mr. Carney needs that, and I think the nation needs it.”
Carney had previously said he would call a byelection in the riding as soon as possible, with “no games.” A byelection can be held no earlier than 11 days after the Speaker of the House of Commons formally informs the chief electoral officer of the vacancy.
With a date for the byelection now set, the focus will turn to the campaign as candidates try to get their message out to constituents.
“Byelections in general have a much lower turnout than a general election and it’s the middle of summer,” says political scientist Duane Bratt. “People are taking holidays or are leaving or have just downgraded their political watching, so that’s going to be a challenge.”
Bratt believes Poilievre will win the riding. But he’s also watching to see if the leader will return to the area once he wins, saying it was in part a lack of constituency work that cost him his seat in Ottawa.
— with files from Global’s Sean Boynton and The Canadian Press
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