Conservative leader wins Canada by-election, regaining parliament seat
Poilievre finished with 80.4% share of the vote after Monday's election in the riding of Battle River-Crowfoot, in the deeply Conservative western province.
'Thank you very much to the great people of Battle River-Crowfoot,' Poilievre told supporters as he celebrated the victory with his family in the city of Camrose. 'If I stand before you here today, it is by the grace of God and the good generosity of so many people… Getting to know the people in this region has been the privilege of my life.'
Poiliever, the leader of the opposition, lost the seat he had held for more than 20 years in April's national election. He now replaces Damien Kurek, who volunteered to resign his seat in order to give Poilievre a chance return to parliament.
Without a seat in the House of Commons, Poilievre has been unable to fully serve his role as opposition leader. Instead of sparring with prime minister Mark Carney during question period, Poilievre has been relegated to holding media scrums on the outskirts of parliament, diminishing his national visibility.
Monday's victory, with relatively high turnout for a by-election, is likely to re-energize supporters. But Poilievre won one of the country's most Conservative-friendly seats by a narrower margin than Kurek did in April. Diminished support for the federal leader could influence members when they vote to review his tenure as the top Tory in January.
The race, which had a national feel for a rural, sparsely populated riding, was also the target of the Longest Ballot Committee, a group calling for electoral reform. The movement coaxed 203 candidates to add their names to the roster, forcing Elections Canada to use write-in ballots for the first time during a federal election and to hire more staff to count ballots on election night.
'Make your vote count so that I can go to Ottawa and fight for you. Fight for your right to buy any truck or car you want. To keep your firearms, fight for farmers, oil and gas workers, and a stronger military. Fight for an immigration system that is under control and puts Canadians first,' Poilievre said in a video posted to social media on Monday, which included directions on how to correctly spell his surname. 'But before I can do any of that, I need you to get out and vote today.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wales Online
2 hours ago
- Wales Online
Government strikes returns deal with Iraq in latest bid to deter small boats
Government strikes returns deal with Iraq in latest bid to deter small boats The deal, signed by Home Office minister Dan Jarvis, will set up a formal process to return Iraqis who have arrived in the UK with no right to stay in the country A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to the Border Force compound in Dover, Kent (Image: PA Wire/PA Images) The Government has agreed a new deal with Iraq to return illegal migrants as part of wider moves to limit small boat crossings. The deal, signed by Home Office minister Dan Jarvis, will set up a formal process to return Iraqis who have arrived in the UK with no right to stay in the country. It comes after an £800,000 deal last year with Baghdad to help the country crack down on smuggling networks and organised crime. Earlier this year Sir Keir Starmer and Iraq's prime minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani agreed to strengthen co-operation on migration. Mr Jarvis signed the agreement during a visit to the UK by Iraq's deputy foreign minister Faud Hussein. The Home Office said the accord would allow the "swift" return of illegal migrants. Home Office statistics said since previous deals, the number of Iraqis arriving in the UK by small boat has fallen to 1,900 in the year to March 2025, down from 2,600 in the previous year. Article continues below Mr Jarvis said: "By working together on security, development and migration challenges, we are building stronger relationships that benefit both our countries whilst tackling shared challenges like organised crime and irregular migration." The returns deal is the latest as part of the Home Office's policies to stop small boats crossing the channel. Similar agreements have already been made with Albania and Vietnam since Labour came into power. Another deal with France recently came into force, where small boat migrants who have arrived over the English Channel from the French coast can be returned to the country. The small boats migrant will then be exchanged for a legitimate asylum seeker in France who can demonstrate a genuine family link to the UK. The number has been capped, but it is hoped it will act as a deterrent to those crossing the Channel. The latest figures from the Home Office showed 116 migrants arrived aboard two small boats on August 15. Mr Jarvis said: "This visit reinforces the strength of the UK-Iraq partnership and demonstrates our government's commitment to serious diplomacy that delivers real results. "As someone who served in Iraq, I understand first-hand the importance of building enduring relationships in the region, and the new agreement we have signed is a testament to the trust and co-operation we've built with our Iraqi counterparts." However, the announcement was criticised by Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp. He said: "Over 50,000 illegal immigrants have crossed the Channel in Labour's short time in power, the worst illegal immigration crisis in our history. "Labour has surrendered our borders, and the consequences are being felt in our communities, from rising crime to shocking cases of rape and sexual assault by recent arrivals. "Now they boast about a measly returns deal with Iraq, but barely any small boat arrivals are Iraqi, and most would qualify for asylum anyway. It's a sham designed to look tough while crossings keep soaring. Article continues below "Labour has scrapped Conservative deterrents and created the conditions for chaos, leaving the British people to foot the bill. Only the Conservatives will stop the crossings and restore control of Britain's borders."
South Wales Guardian
4 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Swinney says SNP majority at Holyrood could make second referendum a ‘reality'
He dismissed as 'laughable' claims from critics that this strategy for getting a second referendum is 'punting' independence 'into the long grass'. However, while opinion polls have the SNP in the lead in the run-up to the crucial Holyrood vote, none has indicated Mr Swinney's party could win an overall majority. The Scottish Parliament's proportional representation system makes it harder for any single party to win more than half of the seats, with only former SNP leader Alex Salmond having achieved this in 2011. That victory led to the 2014 independence referendum, with Mr Swinney now relying on this 'precedent' as he seeks to secure a second vote on Scotland's place in the UK. His comments came as he indicated independence supporters are 'frustrated' that despite the 2016 and 2021 Holyrood elections both returning majorities of MSPs supporting independence, successive Westminster governments have refused to allow a second ballot to be held. Mr Swinney, speaking at an event organised by think tank Enlighten in Edinburgh on Tuesday, also noted that while Scots voted to stay in the UK in 2014 there were now 'various polls' with a majority for independence. Pressed on his strategy of using a Holyrood majority to achieve another referendum, the Scottish First Minister insisted that the idea this was 'punting it into the long grass is laughable for me'. Instead, he insisted independence as an 'urgent necessity', claiming decisions by the Labour Government at Westminster will make it harder for him to achieve his 'mission' of eradicating child poverty. However, he insisted he has 'got to be realistic' about how a second referendum could be brought about. Mr Swinney said: 'An independent Scotland will only come about if it carries domestic and international legitimacy, ie the rules of how it becomes independent are accepted by all parties.' He stressed this had been the case in 2014, as he added: 'If we want to advance on this issue there has got to be a means of breaking the log jam that we are currently in. 'Two successive elections, the majority of members of the Scottish Parliament supporting holding a referendum on independence and the Westminster government just folds its arms and says 'no'.' The First Minister noted that 'in 2011, when the SNP won a majority of seats in the Scottish Parliament, that led to a referendum in 2014'. And he added: 'If we want independence to happen we have got to rely on that precedent.' He rejected suggestions from Enlighten director Chris Deerin that returning a majority of SNP MSPs to Holyrood next May was a 'bold ambition', as he called on independence supporters to make the issue a 'priority' in that election. 'Then we can turn this into reality,' Mr Swinney said. Polls currently indicate the SNP could still be the largest party at Holyrood after the next election, but have so far failed to show Mr Swinney's party winning more than half the 129 seats. However, Mr Swinney recalled that in the run-up to 2011 election, his party was 'miles behind' in the opinion polls but 'then we won a majority four months later'. And he said: 'Today, nine months out from the election, I am ahead in the opinion polls. 'When I took over as SNP leader we were behind. I have brought the SNP back into the lead, a commanding lead in the opinion polls, and on the opinion polls today, we still would be the largest party by a country mile in the Scottish Parliament.' However he insisted: 'That's not good enough for me. 'I have set out what we have got to do to clear a pathway to win Scottish independence and I am going to give absolutely every fibre of my being from now until May 7 next year to make sure it happens.'
South Wales Guardian
4 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Government strikes returns deal with Iraq in latest bid to deter small boats
The deal, signed by Home Office minister Dan Jarvis, will set up a formal process to return Iraqis who have arrived in the UK with no right to stay in the country. It comes after an £800,000 deal last year with Baghdad to help the country crack down on smuggling networks and organised crime. Earlier this year Sir Keir Starmer and Iraq's prime minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani agreed to strengthen co-operation on migration. Mr Jarvis signed the agreement during a visit to the UK by Iraq's deputy foreign minister Faud Hussein. The Home Office said the accord would allow the 'swift' return of illegal migrants. Home Office statistics said since previous deals, the number of Iraqis arriving in the UK by small boat has fallen to 1,900 in the year to March 2025, down from 2,600 in the previous year. Mr Jarvis said: 'By working together on security, development and migration challenges, we are building stronger relationships that benefit both our countries whilst tackling shared challenges like organised crime and irregular migration.' The returns deal is the latest as part of the Home Office's policies to stop small boats crossing the channel. Similar agreements have already been made with Albania and Vietnam since Labour came into power. Another deal with France recently came into force, where small boat migrants who have arrived over the English Channel from the French coast can be returned to the country. The small boats migrant will then be exchanged for a legitimate asylum seeker in France who can demonstrate a genuine family link to the UK. The number has been capped, but it is hoped it will act as a deterrent to those crossing the Channel. The latest figures from the Home Office showed 116 migrants arrived aboard two small boats on August 15. Mr Jarvis said: 'This visit reinforces the strength of the UK-Iraq partnership and demonstrates our government's commitment to serious diplomacy that delivers real results. 'As someone who served in Iraq, I understand first-hand the importance of building enduring relationships in the region, and the new agreement we have signed is a testament to the trust and co-operation we've built with our Iraqi counterparts.' However, the announcement was criticised by Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp. He said: 'Over 50,000 illegal immigrants have crossed the Channel in Labour's short time in power, the worst illegal immigration crisis in our history. 'Labour has surrendered our borders, and the consequences are being felt in our communities, from rising crime to shocking cases of rape and sexual assault by recent arrivals. 'Now they boast about a measly returns deal with Iraq, but barely any small boat arrivals are Iraqi, and most would qualify for asylum anyway. It's a sham designed to look tough while crossings keep soaring. 'Labour has scrapped Conservative deterrents and created the conditions for chaos, leaving the British people to foot the bill. Only the Conservatives will stop the crossings and restore control of Britain's borders.'
