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Byelection outcome could determine future of Poilievre's political career: expert
Byelection outcome could determine future of Poilievre's political career: expert

CTV News

time7 hours ago

  • Politics
  • CTV News

Byelection outcome could determine future of Poilievre's political career: expert

Pierre Poilievre is seen speaking at the Battle River-Crowfoot byelection forum on July 29, 2025. (CTV News Edmonton/Dave Mitchell) While Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre is expected to win the byelection in Battle River-Crowfoot in August, one expert says it's likely his capabilities will still be put under a microscope. 'I don't know that any margin of victory in this byelection will be enough to silence the questions that are being raised about Pierre Poilievre's leadership,' said Lori Williams, associate professor of policy studies at Mount Royal University. If Poilievre can't hold up to his incumbent Damien Kurek – who won a whopping 82 per cent of the vote in the April election before resigning so Poilievre could have a chance at the seat after losing in his Ottawa-Carleton riding – Williams said it could give the opposition ammunition and shift the polls long-term. 'He's not in a comfortable position right now,' Williams told CTV News Edmonton. 'He wants to get back into the House of Commons and he wants to build from there, try to generate the kind of support he enjoyed prior to Mark Carney becoming the leader of the Liberal Party.' The Battle River-Crowfoot riding is known as the strongest Tory hold in the country. Although Poilievre is expected to win come Aug. 18, the passion seen at Tuesday's forum in Camrose, Alta., could translate into spontaneous voter turnout that could offset the Conservative Party's campaign, said Williams. During the forum, members of the audience could be heard cheering and booing to remarks made by the 10 out of some 200 candidates that partook in the debate. Several candidates made jabs at the Conservative Party leader – mainly for the fact that he does not live in the riding and is running to keep hold of his political career. But Poilievre, who was born and raised in Calgary, said his experience as a federal party leader will give him the upper hand when dealing with Ottawa. Camrose resident Sandra McLay said she voted for Poilievre in April and intends to do so again. 'Some of the candidates are mostly talking about provincial things and not federal,' McLay told CTV News Edmonton at Tuesday's forum. 'Pierre's talking federally and that's what I voted for, so I'm going to vote for that.' Jim Davizk said the other candidates need to do a little bit of homework. 'They seem hung up on things that are happening here, rather than what Poilievre can do for us across the country,' said Davizk. 'I'm sure he'll represent us well.' Even though support for Poilievre seems unwavering, Williams said she was surprised to see support for independents like Bonnie Critchley, who says the riding needs representation from a person who actually lives there. 'I firmly believe that Mounsieur Poilievre is too busy with his personal ambitions to give a rat's backside about us,' said Critchley during her final remarks Tuesday. With files from CTV News Edmonton's Connor Hogg

Over 200 candidates sign up for Poilievre's byelection — doubling previous record
Over 200 candidates sign up for Poilievre's byelection — doubling previous record

Yahoo

time2 days ago

  • Politics
  • Yahoo

Over 200 candidates sign up for Poilievre's byelection — doubling previous record

More than 200 candidates, mostly associated with a group of electoral reform advocates, have signed up to run in an upcoming federal byelection next month. The number more than doubles the previous record on a single ballot. Former Alberta MP Damien Kurek vacated his seat in Battle River-Crowfoot to give Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre a chance to rejoin the House of Commons. Poilievre lost his longtime Carleton riding in April's general election. A group known as the Longest Ballot Committee has been organizing candidates to run in byelections in recent years in an effort to push for electoral reform. The committee's organizers want to put a citizens' assembly in charge of electoral reform and say political parties are too reluctant to make government more representative of the electorate. "We hope MPs hear our message loud and clear and do the right thing: recuse themselves and pass decisions on election law to an independent, permanent, non-partisan body, such as a citizens' assembly to decide," organizers said in a statement on Sunday. As of Sunday evening, 209 candidates had registered to run in Battle River-Crowfoot, exceeding the committee's goal of 200. That's more than double the previous record of 91 which has occurred twice in the past year: during a byelection in LaSalle-Emard-Verdun last September and Carleton during the last general election. That number of candidates resulted in a ballot roughly a metre long. The massive ballots have resulted in delays in vote counting and have confounded some voters. Elections Canada told CBC News on Wednesday that it will finalize ways to minimize disruptions from the long ballots. "We are looking at ways to [simplify] things based on recent experiences with elections involving a higher-than-usual number of candidates. We will finalize our plans after the deadline for candidate nominations," spokesperson Matthew McKenna said in an email. Elections Canada has already had to make changes to accommodate the mammoth-sized ballots — mostly through early counting and bringing in extra workers. Although the Longest Ballot Committee has organized in two elections where Poilievre is running, the group has also targeted Liberal strongholds such as Toronto-St. Paul's and LaSalle-Émard-Verdun in 2024. But the advocates' efforts to push the limits of a ballot have sparked calls for changes, most recently from Poilievre himself who has called the protests a "scam." The Conservative leader wrote a letter to government House leader Steven MacKinnon last week calling for legislation to change Canada's election rules in an effort to curb the long ballot protests. A spokesperson for MacKinnon's office said the Liberals share those concerns and are open to changes. MPs were debating legislation last Parliamentary session that could have implemented some of Poilievre's proposed changes — specifically to limit electors to only signing one nomination form. The advocates have voters sign multiple forms. Elections Canada head Stéphane Perrault himself made the suggestion in front of a committee of MPs that was studying a bill to amend the Canada Elections Act before Parliament was prorogued. Perrault argued that "certain penalties" should be imposed on individuals who sign — or encourage others to sign — multiple nomination papers in an effort to get as many candidates on a ballot as possible, though he didn't say what those penalties should be. The deadline to register as a candidate in Battle River-Crowfoot is Monday. Voters head to the polls on Aug. 18.

Over 200 candidates sign up for Poilievre's byelection — doubling previous record
Over 200 candidates sign up for Poilievre's byelection — doubling previous record

Yahoo

time2 days ago

  • Politics
  • Yahoo

Over 200 candidates sign up for Poilievre's byelection — doubling previous record

More than 200 candidates, mostly associated with a group of electoral reform advocates, have signed up to run in an upcoming federal byelection next month. The number more than doubles the previous record on a single ballot. Former Alberta MP Damien Kurek vacated his seat in Battle River-Crowfoot to give Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre a chance to rejoin the House of Commons. Poilievre lost his longtime Carleton riding in April's general election. A group known as the Longest Ballot Committee has been organizing candidates to run in byelections in recent years in an effort to push for electoral reform. The committee's organizers want to put a citizens' assembly in charge of electoral reform and say political parties are too reluctant to make government more representative of the electorate. "We hope MPs hear our message loud and clear and do the right thing: recuse themselves and pass decisions on election law to an independent, permanent, non-partisan body, such as a citizens' assembly to decide," organizers said in a statement on Sunday. As of Sunday evening, 209 candidates had registered to run in Battle River-Crowfoot, exceeding the committee's goal of 200. That's more than double the previous record of 91 which has occurred twice in the past year: during a byelection in LaSalle-Emard-Verdun last September and Carleton during the last general election. That number of candidates resulted in a ballot roughly a metre long. The massive ballots have resulted in delays in vote counting and have confounded some voters. Elections Canada told CBC News on Wednesday that it will finalize ways to minimize disruptions from the long ballots. "We are looking at ways to [simplify] things based on recent experiences with elections involving a higher-than-usual number of candidates. We will finalize our plans after the deadline for candidate nominations," spokesperson Matthew McKenna said in an email. Elections Canada has already had to make changes to accommodate the mammoth-sized ballots — mostly through early counting and bringing in extra workers. Although the Longest Ballot Committee has organized in two elections where Poilievre is running, the group has also targeted Liberal strongholds such as Toronto-St. Paul's and LaSalle-Émard-Verdun in 2024. But the advocates' efforts to push the limits of a ballot have sparked calls for changes, most recently from Poilievre himself who has called the protests a "scam." The Conservative leader wrote a letter to government House leader Steven MacKinnon last week calling for legislation to change Canada's election rules in an effort to curb the long ballot protests. A spokesperson for MacKinnon's office said the Liberals share those concerns and are open to changes. MPs were debating legislation last Parliamentary session that could have implemented some of Poilievre's proposed changes — specifically to limit electors to only signing one nomination form. The advocates have voters sign multiple forms. Elections Canada head Stéphane Perrault himself made the suggestion in front of a committee of MPs that was studying a bill to amend the Canada Elections Act before Parliament was prorogued. Perrault argued that "certain penalties" should be imposed on individuals who sign — or encourage others to sign — multiple nomination papers in an effort to get as many candidates on a ballot as possible, though he didn't say what those penalties should be. The deadline to register as a candidate in Battle River-Crowfoot is Monday. Voters head to the polls on Aug. 18.

More than 200 candidates running in riding where Poilievre hopes to win seat, as Elections Canada announces adapted ballot
More than 200 candidates running in riding where Poilievre hopes to win seat, as Elections Canada announces adapted ballot

CTV News

time2 days ago

  • Politics
  • CTV News

More than 200 candidates running in riding where Poilievre hopes to win seat, as Elections Canada announces adapted ballot

The number of candidates running against Pierre Poilievre in the upcoming byelection has surpassed 200. Elections Canada had 209 on the ballot as of Monday. The number of candidates running in an August byelection the Conservative Party of Canada hopes will restore its leader's position in the House of Commons has surpassed 200. To manage the record-breaking number, Elections Canada announced Monday that next month's byelection will have an adapted ballot. Elections Canada has listed 209 confirmed candidates in the rural Alberta riding of Battle River—Crowfoot as of Monday morning, only seven of which have political party affiliations. Monday is the close of nominations for the Aug. 18 byelection, and a complete list of candidates will be available Wednesday, the elections agency said. The vast majority of candidates who've signed up to run are listed as independents. The riding has since been targeted by the electoral reform advocacy group The Longest Ballot Committee, which has also participated in several previous high-stakes byelections. It also ran a campaign in Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's former riding during the April general election, where the ballot racked up 91 candidates. Conservative candidates have held the federal riding in Battle River—Crowfoot since 2004, including Damien Kurek, who won the April general election with 83 per cent of the vote. The farmer-by-trade had held the seat since 2019 but resigned in the weeks after the election — and on the first day he was allowed to do so, according to parliamentary procedure — so Poilievre could run to replace him. Poilievre lost the Ottawa-area riding of Carleton, which he'd held for more than 20 years, to Liberal political rookie Bruce Fanjoy. While he's still Conservative leader, losing his seat in the House of Commons means Poilievre has been unable to participate in Parliament. In an interview with CTV Power Play with Vassy Kapelos, Kurek said his decision to resign was a way to 'practically serve' his riding and the country. In Battle River—Crowfoot, where The Longest Ballot Committee planned to break records for the number of registered candidates, group spokesperson Tomas Szuchewycz is listed as the 'name of official agent' on 199 of the 209 nominations. With 91 names on the ballot in Carleton in April, each ballot was about one metre long, and Elections Canada estimated it could take about three times as long to count them, factoring the time it took to unfold and tally each one. To accommodate the significant list of candidates, Elections Canada has created an adapted ballot, similar to a special ballot, allowing voters to write the name of the person they're voting for. 'This adapted ballot will replace the typical list-style ballot, on which electors mark a blank circle next to the name of their candidate of choice,' the Elections Canada website states. 'The adapted ballot will retain the safeguards of a typical ballot.' Elections Canada also stated a list of all the candidates will still be provided to voters. Poilievre called on the government last week to pass legislation to prevent actions like those taken by The Longest Ballot Committee, calling the stunt 'a deliberate attempt to manipulate the rules,' and 'a blatant abuse' of the electoral system in an open letter to House leader Steven MacKinnon. Some independent candidates, meanwhile, told CTV News they signed up out of frustration with Kurek's resignation, saying they'd elected the candidate and not necessarily the party at large. Party leaders in Canada are expected to have a seat in the House or seek one 'as soon as possible,' according to the House of Commons Procedure and Practice. But just how 'soon' has varied in the past. With files from CTV News' Colton Praill, Lynn Chaya and Spencer Van Dyk, and CTV News Edmonton's Angela Amato

Write-in ballots to be used in Alberta byelection due to record number of candidates
Write-in ballots to be used in Alberta byelection due to record number of candidates

CBC

time2 days ago

  • Politics
  • CBC

Write-in ballots to be used in Alberta byelection due to record number of candidates

Elections Canada says voters will need to write in their desired candidate during the upcoming byelection in Alberta's Battle River-Crowfoot to avoid a massive ballot with more than 200 names. The independent body said in a news release Monday that voters will be provided the special ballots at advance polls and on election day. Electors will need to write their preferred candidate's name. A group of electoral reform advocates, known as the Longest Ballot Committee, has been organizing candidates to run in byelections in recent years in an effort to push for electoral reform. The committee's organizers want to put a citizens' assembly in charge of electoral reform and say political parties are too reluctant to make government more representative of the electorate. More than 200 candidates, mostly associated with the group, have signed up to run in the byelection next month. The vote was triggered after MP Damien Kurek vacated his seat to give Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre a chance to rejoin the House of Commons. Poilievre lost his longtime Carleton riding in April's general election. As of Monday, 209 candidates had registered to run in the riding of Battle River-Crowfoot, exceeding the committee's goal of 200. That's more than double the previous record of 91 which has occurred twice in the past year: during a byelection in LaSalle-Emard-Verdun last September and Carleton during the last general election. That number of candidates resulted in a ballot roughly a metre long. The massive ballots have resulted in delays in vote-counting and confounded some voters.

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