July 28, 2025
RED FM News Desk
The number of candidates in the August by-election, which the Conservative Party hopes will facilitate the return of its leader, Pierre Poilievre, to the House of Commons, has now surpassed 200.
Elections Canada announced that as of Monday morning, 209 confirmed candidates are listed in the Alberta riding of Battle River-Crowfoot. Of these, only seven are affiliated with political parties. Today marks the close of nominations for the August 18 by-election, and the elections agency expects to release a complete list on Wednesday.
The vast majority of nominated candidates are listed as independents.
Located in central-eastern Alberta, the Battle River-Crowfoot riding is home to approximately 84,515 voters across an area of about 52,600 square kilometers, according to Elections Canada.
Conservative candidates have won the two previous federal elections in Battle River-Crowfoot. Most recently, Damien Kurek held the seat since 2019 but resigned in the weeks following April’s federal election. Kurek vacated his seat last month to allow Poilievre to run.
Kurek’s former riding has since been targeted by the Electoral-reform-minded group, The Longest Ballot Committee, which previously targeted Poilievre’s former riding. This committee reportedly contributed 85 of the 91 candidates on the ballot in Carleton.
Last week, as the list of candidates approached 150, Poilievre called the situation a “stunt” and a “blatant abuse” of the electoral system. He demanded action in an open letter to House leader Steven MacKinnon.
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