Albertans in the federal riding of Battle River-Crowfoot will soon elect a new member of Parliament in Monday’s byelection.
Prime Minister Mark Carney called the byelection in June after Conservative MP Damien Kurek resigned. He stepped down so Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre could run.
Poilievre lost his longtime Ottawa seat of Carleton when Liberal candidate Bruce Fanjoy scored an upset victory.
Kurek had just won Battle River-Crowfoot in April. The riding has long stood as one of the safest Conservative strongholds in Canada.
The riding covers a large part of eastern and central Alberta, including Drumheller, Hanna, Stettler, Camrose and Provost.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre joined nine other candidates in a byelection forum held in Camrose on July 29. More than 200 people registered, but Elections Canada limited participation to 10.
A record 214 candidates are running, the largest number in Canadian federal history.
The list includes Poilievre, Liberal candidate Darcy Spady, NDP candidate Katherine Swampy, Jonathan Bridges of the People’s Party of Canada, Ashley MacDonald of the Green Party, and Independent Bonnie Critchley.
For the first time, Elections Canada will issue blank write-in ballots to handle the crowded field.
The agency expects results to take longer than usual. To speed things up, officials will begin counting ballots two hours before polls close. They plan to continue counting without pause until every ballot is recorded.
Advance polling drew 14,454 voters, surpassing the April election’s advance turnout.
Most of the 214 candidates belong to the Longest Ballot Committee, a group that promotes electoral reform by flooding byelections with names.
Poilievre criticized the group in Calgary earlier this month, saying they “inundate the ballot to confuse voters” even though they do not campaign.
Independent Bonnie Critchley also pushed back. In an open letter, she said voters wrongly believe she belongs to the committee as a “fake out” candidate.
“I don’t have a massive team or millions in backing,” she wrote. “I go door to door explaining that I stand for my neighbours against an Ottawa outsider.”
Until he wins a seat, Poilievre cannot take part in debate or lead the Opposition in question period.
The Conservative caucus appointed Andrew Scheer to temporarily serve as Opposition leader in the House.
Poilievre also faces a leadership review in January after the Conservatives failed to form government in the last election. Party rules require members to vote on a leader’s future at the next national convention unless that leader resigns.
READ: Hunter Biden Slams George Clooney for Criticizing His Father’s 2024 Election Exit
