IN CONSERVATIVE ALBERTA
HE WAS A SAFE SEAT SHOO IN
HOWEVER...
A record 214 people were on the byelection ballot
A campaign sign for independent candidate Bonnie Critchley next to signs for Pierre Poilievre and Darcy Spady in the riding of Battle River-Crowfoot in Camrose, Alta., on Tuesday, July 22, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amber Bracken© The Canadian Press
CAMROSE — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre secured a seat in the House of Commons late Monday, winning a byelection in the rural Alberta riding of Battle River—Crowfoot.
He was leading with just over 80 per cent of votes in almost a third of polls 1 1/2 hours after voting closed.
A sign reminding people how to spell Pierre Poilievre on the ballot at the Battle River-Crowfoot byelection in Camrose on Monday Aug. 18, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson© The Canadian Press
That means he has secured a seat in the House of Commons.
"Getting to know the people in this region has been the privilege of my life," Poilievre told a crowd at a victory party in Camrose, Alta.
The adapted ballot being used in the Battle River-Crowfoot federal byelection is seen at an advance polling station in Camrose, Alta., on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Fakiha Baig© The Canadian Press
"In fact, I've had a hell of a lot of fun."
The riding was left vacant shortly after the spring general election, when Conservative Damien Kurek stepped down to make way for the party leader.
Poilievre had been elected in the Ottawa-area riding of Carleton seven straight times but lost in April to Liberal Bruce Fanjoy.
A record 214 people were on the byelection ballot, most of whom were part of a protest movement called the Longest Ballot Committee which is pushing for electoral reform to replace the first-past-the-post system.
The group also targeted the Carleton riding in the April general election, when there were 91 candidates on the ballot.
Because there were so many more candidates for Battle River—Crowfoot, voters were required for the first time ever to write the name of their preferred candidate on a blank ballot. Thick coil-bound, 32-page laminated booklets listing the candidates were available at voting stations.
A voter casts their vote for the Battle River-Crowfoot byelection in Camrose, Alberta on Monday Aug. 18, 2025. Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and a record 213 other candidates are vying to win a rural Alberta byelection. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson© The Canadian Press
The sprawling eastern Alberta riding, stretching from Edmonton to Calgary, is considered one of the safest Conservative seats in the country. The Tory leader was widely expected to win by a large margin.
Voters head to the voting station for the Battle River-Crowfoot byelection in Camrose, Alberta on Monday Aug. 18, 2025. Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and a record 213 other candidates are vying to win a rural Alberta byelection. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson© The Canadian Press
Conservatives have won the riding in every election since 2004 with at least 80 per cent of the vote, said Julie Simmons, an associate professor with the University of Guelph in Ontario. The one exception was Kurek, who got 71 per cent of the vote in 2021 but won in April with 83 per cent.
Lori Williams, a political science professor at Mount Royal University in Calgary, said Poilievre needed to win the riding "decisively," as he faces a party leadership review in January.
Voters head to the voting station for the Battle River-Crowfoot byelection in Camrose, Alberta on Monday Aug. 18, 2025. Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and a record 213 other candidates are vying to win a rural Alberta byelection. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson© The Canadian Press
Poilievre was up against a few vocal challengers, including Independent candidate Bonnie Critchley, who was trailing a distant second in voting.
The military veteran described Poilievre as a parachute candidate who only wants to represent the riding for his political career.
Poilievre was born and raised in Calgary but has lived in Ottawa for the last two decades.
Pierre Poilievre supporters gather to wait for the results during the Battle River-Crowfoot byelection in Camrose, Alta., Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson© The Canadian Press
Other candidates included Darcy Spady, from the energy sector, for the Liberals and Katherine Swampy, a former band councillor for Samson Cree Nation, who ran for the NDP.
Anaida Poilievre and Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre celebrate the win during the Battle River-Crowfoot byelection in Camrose, Alta., Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson© The Canadian Press
Also running was Libertarian Party candidate Michael Harris, who ran on a promise to push for a referendum on whether Alberta should separate from Canada.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 18, 2025.
Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press
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