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CAMROSE — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre secured a seat in the House of Commons late Monday with a crushing byelection win in the rural Alberta riding of Battle River—Crowfoot.
He was leading with about 80 per cent of votes as results came in throughout the night.
“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.
“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.
Poilievre thanked Kurek on Monday for his “gracious sacrifice” and promised to be a “humble servant” for those in Alberta.
“I really love the people of Battle River—Crowfoot,” Poilievre said, reminiscing about his time during the byelection campaign at rodeos and once being offered a bag of beef jerky from a stranger in a parking lot.
“They’re the kind of what you see is what you get, give you the shirt off their back, tell it like it is, common sense people.”
Poilievre got teary-eyed during his speech and said people in the community also reminded him that “the road to success is never a straight line.”
“Most of all, you should never give up in hard times,” Poilievre said before stepping offstage, as Journey’s rock anthem “Don’t Stop Believin'” played in the room.
Kurek introduced Poilievre at the celebration as “the guy who will be Canada’s next prime minister.”
Kurek said the Liberals’ federal election win was heartbreaking and he thought giving up his seat so Poilievre could represent the region would be a gift.
“Our issues will be raised on the national stage, because we have a national leader representing us whose fierce dedication and commitment to bringing a megaphone to this region is unmatched,” Kurek said.
“We have a fighter in Pierre Poilievre.”
A record 214 people were on the 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 general election, when there were 91 candidates on the ballot with Poilievre.
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 booklets listing the candidates were available at voting stations.
Stacey Martin, who lives in Camrose, lined up to cast her ballot in the final hours of voting. She said she voted for Poilievre because he’s “the best one to represent us.”
“I think it’s going to come out Pierre, because I think that’s what everybody wanted to start with,” Martin said, adding that Western Canada has “no say” and needs someone to represent their beliefs and values in Ottawa.
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 expected to win by a large margin.
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.
Poilievre was up against a few vocal challengers, including Independent candidate Bonnie Critchley, who trailed a distant second in voting results.
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.
Delphine Doerksen said she voted for Critchley because she’s an “awesome” candidate who lives in the area.
“I don’t think Poilievre is going to represent this riding. He is just here to get a seat in Parliament, basically. And I don’t think we’ll see him again,” she said.
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.
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.
— With files from Catherine Morrison in Ottawa
Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press
