A group advocating for electoral reform by flooding ballots with dozens of candidates is once again targeting Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre—this time in a byelection expected to take place in Alberta’s Battle River—Crowfoot riding. The Longest Ballot Committee, which famously added 85 names to the Carleton ballot in the April 28 federal election where Poilievre lost his long-held seat, says it is preparing to repeat the strategy if enough supporters come forward.
Poilievre lost Carleton to Liberal candidate Bruce Fanjoy by 4,315 votes, and is now expected to run in Battle River—Crowfoot, where Conservative MP Damien Kurek has pledged to step down to allow his party leader a chance to re-enter the House of Commons. Kurek, who was re-elected with more than 82 per cent of the vote, must first be officially sworn in before he can resign. Prime Minister Mark Carney has signaled that a byelection will be called quickly once the process is triggered, with the campaign period expected to last between 36 and 50 days.
The Longest Ballot Committee, which has run similar campaigns in Ontario, Quebec, and Manitoba since 2022, says it is not focused on winning seats but on drawing attention to what it sees as flaws in Canada’s electoral system. In an email statement, the group said, “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.” They have called for at least 200 individuals to sign up before May 12 to move forward with creating another “long ballot.”
During the last election, the sheer size of the Carleton ballot—nearly a metre long—posed logistical challenges. Elections Canada was forced to begin counting advance poll votes six hours before polls closed due to the printing and handling complexities. The full vote count was not completed until the following day.
While Poilievre has yet to speak publicly since his defeat, he recently visited Battle River—Crowfoot and shared a post from MP Damien Kurek’s farm. “People in these communities feed and power our country,” he wrote. “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.”
The Conservative caucus is scheduled to meet in Ottawa on Tuesday, while Poilievre’s return to Parliament will depend on the timing of the byelection—meaning he is likely to miss most, if not all, of the spring session, which begins May 26.