Small-town mayors ‘excited’ Pierre Poilievre targeting seat in rural Alberta

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks to supporters on election night in Ottawa, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

CALGARY — The prospective new riding for federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is home to wheat fields, dinosaur bones and Nickelback.

It’s also Tory country through and through.

Battle River—Crowfoot in central Alberta is a long way from the Ottawa riding that was Poilievre’s home base for more than 20 years, as he seeks to regain a seat in the House of Commons.

Damien Kurek, a three-time elected member of Parliament, is relinquishing his seat in Battle River—Crowfoot to allow Poilievre to run in a byelection there later this year, the Conservative Party of Canada announced Friday.

Kurek walked to victory in Monday’s election with 82 per cent of the vote, one of the most lopsided races in the country. Poilievre lost his seat in the Ottawa-area riding of Carleton to Liberal candidate Bruce Fanjoy.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said a byelection would be held as soon as possible.

Mayors across the Alberta region said they’re delighted.

“I’m kind of excited,” said Danny Povaschuk, mayor of Hanna, the town northeast of Calgary that produced Flames legend Lanny McDonald and rock band Nickelback.

“We’re in Alberta. We’re blue, right? I’ll call it a privilege, actually, to have him in our riding here, and I’m relatively confident he should be able to win again.”

Poilievre’s decision to run in the riding will be viewed by some as a homecoming for the born-and-raised Calgarian. Before moving to Ottawa in his early 20s to start his political career, he attended high school in the city’s southwest and graduated from the University of Calgary.

For riding locals, he’s familiar only by name.

Wainwright Mayor Bruce Pugh said he has mixed feelings.

“Is it going to be high-profile, low representation? Is it going to be that kind of situation? Right off the bat, I don’t think so,” Pugh said.

Kurek’s departure will be a loss, Pugh added, as they worked closely together.

“We recognize scope is a little bigger as the leader of His Majesty’s Opposition, but I don’t think we should expect or accept any lower level of representation,” Pugh said of Poilievre.

Battle River — Crowfoot is a vast and sparsely populated riding that, according to Elections Canada, is almost 53,000 square kilometres in size — larger than countries like Switzerland or the Netherlands. The population is about 110,000, putting population density at about two people per square kilometre.

Heather Colberg, the mayor of Drumheller, home to the Badlands and dinosaur fossils, said she’s proud of Kurek for stepping down to allow Poilievre to seek a seat in Parliament.

She also expects he’ll be back representing the riding in four years.

“Isn’t that wild? I think Damien is just an incredible, incredible person. He’s been a great MP for us, but to actually give up his seat for the betterment of the party is wow ... just admirable,” Colberg said.

“Obviously I’m pretty honoured Pierre’s hopefully going to represent us. And he’s an Alberta boy originally, so I think he completely understands the overall Alberta thing. I’m excited for him. I’m excited for all of us.”

She said the riding is perfect for Poilievre to land in.

“I think we’re the most Conservative seat in Canada for sure ... obviously one of the top. Definitely it’s a mindset in rural Alberta.”

Camrose, a city of about 20,000, is the riding’s largest community.

Its mayor, PJ Stasko, praised Kurek’s efforts in Parliament to add a pedestrian underpass to a railway crossing in the area. If Poilievre wins, Stasko said he hopes the leader will offer the same representation residents have come to expect.

“Being visible at many community events and special events that we host around town is key.”

Povaschuk added that Poilievre could get off to a good start by following in Kurek’s footsteps and coming to Hanna’s Canada Day parade.

There are other options this summer too: the Hand Hills Lake Stampede and the one-day Hardgrass Bronc Match in Pollockville, Alta.

“Obviously being leader, there’s a lot more commitment other than your riding. I think that may have been what cost him in his riding in Ontario,” said Povaschuk.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 3, 2025.

With files from Bill Graveland in Calgary and Aaron Sousa in Edmonton

Matthew Scace, The Canadian Press