Carney sets byelection for Alberta riding where Poilievre plans to run
Prime Minister Mark Carney has called a byelection for the Alberta riding of Battle River-Crowfoot, where Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is expected to compete to regain a seat in the House of Commons.
The byelection was called on Monday, two weeks after Damien Kurek, the Conservative MP for the riding, resigned to allow Poilievre to run.
Election day will be Aug. 18.
Poilievre lost his seat of Carleton in Ontario during the April federal election. He had represented the Ottawa riding for 20 years.
Carney had previously said he would call a byelection in the riding as soon as possible, with “no games.”
A byelection can be held no earlier than 11 days after the Speaker of the House of Commons formally informs the chief electoral officer of the vacancy.
Shortly after the election, Kurek announced he planned to step aside so Poilievre could run in what has been a Conservative seat since 2015. Kurek has won the seat since 2019, getting more than 70 per cent of the vote in each election.
While he remains as party leader, Poilievre has been unable to serve as Opposition leader and question the party in the chamber, where Andrew Scheer serves on an interim basis.
— with files from The Canadian Press
globalnews
