Bonnie Critchley, who ran as an independent candidate in Monday night’s Battle River-Crowfoot byelection, didn’t top Tory Leader Pierre Poilievre’s 40,548 votes but came in second with more than 5,000. She pulled in just shy of 10 per cent of ballots to Poilievre’s just over 80 per cent. “To get over 5,000 votes for an independent candidate running against a professional politician who’s going to go in as a leader of the opposition, that’s significant,” said political analyst Lori Turnbull. “She certainly managed to harness a feeling in the riding that is, I think, directed at someone who was running in that riding, who doesn’t live there.” The riding was considered “safe” for Poilievre to restore his seat in Parliament after losing his Ottawa-area seat during the spring general election. Former MP Damien Kurek, who won with 83 per cent of the vote in the general election, stepped down so Poilievre could run. During the byelection campaign, many wondered whether Poilievre could match the level of support his predecessor received, as some voters were critical of an outsider parachuting into the riding. After the Conservative Party announced Poilievre won the riding, Critchley spoke with reporters. “I’m still absolutely ecstatic because my entire purpose from when I started to right now has been to tell Mr. Poilievre that he is not allowed to just walk in and use us as a tool and then disappear back to Ottawa,” Critchley said. “I’ve left a very large boot print on the Canadian (political) landscape, on our elections, to say that a nobody from nowhere can stand up and say enough is enough. “The big parties need to pay attention and actually listen to people because they work for us, not the other way around.” Critchley remained critical of Kurek. “Mr. Kurek, if he thinks we’re going to welcome him back with open arms, he is in for a rude awakening,” Critchley said. Asked if she would consider running again, Critchley confirmed she would. “This is our riding; this is our home,” Critchley said. “We are going to keep fighting for it.” Voter turnout was lower compared to the spring general election but higher compared to other byelections. With files from Kathy Le
