Longest Ballot Committee Targets Poilievre’s Byelection Run in Battle River—Crowfoot

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s anticipated bid to return to Parliament through a byelection in Alberta may once again be met with an unusual form of protest. The Longest Ballot Committee, a group advocating for electoral reform, has announced plans to flood the ballot in the Battle River—Crowfoot byelection—just as it did in Poilievre’s former riding of Carleton.

Poilievre, who lost his seat in Carleton to Liberal Bruce Fanjoy by a margin of 4,315 votes on April 28, is expected to run in Battle River—Crowfoot after local Conservative MP Damien Kurek offered to resign his newly won seat. Kurek, re-elected with more than 82% of the vote, will step aside once officially sworn in, clearing the way for the Conservative leader’s return.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has confirmed he will move quickly to call the byelection, which could be triggered as soon as 11 days after Kurek’s resignation becomes official. The campaign period would then run between 36 and 50 days.

But Poilievre’s path back to the House of Commons could once again be complicated by the Longest Ballot Committee. The group was responsible for placing 85 of the 91 names on the Carleton ballot in April, none of whom received more than 57 votes. Their objective is to draw national attention to the need for electoral reform in Canada.

In an emailed statement, the group argued that election rules should be determined by an independent citizens’ assembly rather than politicians. “It would benefit voters if politicians recused themselves and passed decisions about election rules to a permanent, independent and non-partisan body,” the email stated.

The committee has issued a call for supporters to register by May 12. If 200 people sign up, the group says it will take steps to replicate its ballot-lengthening strategy in the upcoming Alberta byelection.

During the Carleton election, the unprecedented number of candidates led to logistical headaches for Elections Canada. Ballots had to be specially printed, measured nearly a metre in length, and caused delays in counting. Advance votes had to be tallied six hours before polls closed, and the final count was not completed until the following day.

Poilievre has already begun campaigning in Battle River—Crowfoot, recently posting on social media from Kurek’s farm. “People in these communities feed and power our country,” he wrote. “It will be an honour to work for their support to return to Parliament, hold the government to account and champion common sense values for Canada.”

Though Poilievre has not spoken publicly since his defeat in Carleton, the Conservative caucus is scheduled to meet Tuesday in Ottawa, where his political path forward is expected to take clearer shape.

As reported by The Canadian Press