Longest ballot group takes aim at byelection where Poilievre plans to run

Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre, right, and his wife Anaida Poilievre depart a polling station after voting in Ottawa on Monday, April 28, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

OTTAWA — The group that added dozens of candidates to the ballot in Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s riding in the recent federal election is planning to do the same in the upcoming byelection.

Poilievre is expected to seek a seat in the House of Commons for the Alberta riding of Battle River—Crowfoot, after losing his long-held seat of Carleton to the Liberals on April 28.

Damien Kurek, who was re-elected in Battle River—Crowfoot for the third time last week, has pledged to step aside so Poilievre can run there in his place.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said last week he will call the byelection quickly to allow the Conservative leader the chance to return to the House of Commons.

The Longest Ballot Committee was responsible for adding 85 of the 91 names on the Carleton ballot, though none of them got more than 57 votes.

The group says it’s trying to get attention to push for electoral reform and has run dozens of candidates on the ballot in multiple byelections in Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba since 2022.

“It would benefit voters if politicians recused themselves and passed decisions about election rules to a permanent, independent and non-partisan body such as a citizens’ assembly,” the group said in an email.

The email said that if at least 200 people sign up before May 12, the committee will try to “make a long ballot happen.”

Elections Canada had to begin counting the advance poll votes in Carleton six hours before the polls closed on April 28, and the full count was not complete until the day after the election.

The ballots, which had to be specially printed, measured almost a full metre long and were challenging for voters to fold and stuff into ballot boxes.

Poilievre lost to Liberal Bruce Fanjoy by 4,315 votes.

The loss means he will likely miss the entire spring sitting of the House of Commons, which is set to begin on May 26.

A byelection can be called as soon as 11 days after Kurek resigns — which can only happen after he is officially sworn in as an MP — and the byelection campaign will run between 36 and 50 days.

Kurek, who was first elected in 2019, won in Battle River—Crowfoot with more than 82 per cent of the votes in the most recent election.

Poilievre visited the riding recently, posting on social media on Monday that he had visited Kurek’s farm.

“People in these communities feed and power our country,” he said.

“It will be an honour to work for their support to return to Parliament, hold the government to account and champion common sense values for Canada.”

Poilievre has not spoken to media since the election. The Conservative caucus is set to meet in Ottawa on Tuesday morning.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2025

Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press