A newly re-elected Conservative member of Parliament is resigning his Alberta seat to allow Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to run again, the party announced Friday.
Poilievre lost his long-held seat in the Ottawa riding of Carleton in Monday’s federal election, leaving the Conservatives without a leader in the House of Commons despite forming the largest official Opposition in Canada’s history.
The resignation of Battle River-Crowfoot MP-elect Damien Kurek, who has held the seat since 2019, will allow Poilievre to run in a future by-election.
“Pierre Poilievre just finished a remarkable national campaign that received the highest vote share since 1988,” Kurek said in a statement issued by the party.
“An unstoppable movement has grown under his leadership, and I know we need Pierre fighting in the House of Commons to hold the Liberal minority government to account. This is what’s best for Canada, and is what’s best for Battle River-Crowfoot.”
Kurek said his resignation is only temporary, however, and that he intends to run in the same riding whenever the next federal election takes place.
“The people of Battle River-Crowfoot will be represented well by Pierre for the remainder of this Parliamentary session, and I will keep working with our incredible local team to do everything I can to remain the strong voice for you as I support him in the process, and then run again here in Battle River-Crowfoot in the next general election,” he said.
Poilievre said on social media he accepted Kurek’s offer to resign his seat with “humility and appreciation.”
“Damien’s selfless act to step aside temporarily as a Member of Parliament shows his commitment to change and restoring Canada’s promise,” he said.
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“I will work to earn the trust of the good people of Battle River-Crowfoot and I will continue to hold the Liberal minority government to account until the next federal election, when we will bring real change to all Canadians.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney must call a by-election within 50 days after the writ is issued for the riding by the Chief Electoral Office, according to Elections Canada.
He told reporters earlier Friday he has spoken to Poilievre following his election win and assured him he won’t draw out the by-election call.
“I’ve already indicated to Mr. Poilievre that if it’s the decision of him and the Conservative Party to trigger, if I can put it that way, a by-election, I will ensure that it happens as soon as possible,” he said.
However, the timing guarantees Poilievre won’t be in the House of Commons for the opening of the new session of Parliament, which Carney said will return later this month.
Parliament will return on May 26, but Carney said the Speech from the Throne will be on May 27.
Poilievre lost his Carleton riding to Liberal Bruce Fanjoy by less than five points, after holding the seat since 2004.
Many Conservatives have rallied behind him despite the party losing the election — which came after leading the Liberals in the polls by double digits last year — and Poilievre’s own defeat.
They have pointed to the expanded vote share for the party, which earned 41.3 per cent of all ballots cast, but still came behind the Liberals for the first time since 2015.
However, some prominent Conservative figures including Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston have criticized how Poilievre ran the campaign and led the party to its fourth straight loss.
Houston told reporters this week the Conservatives need to do some “soul-searching.”
Poilievre’s statement Friday marked his first public comments since his concession speech to Conservative supporters early Tuesday morning.
He was born and raised in Calgary, and both his roots and the Conservatives’ strong support in western Canada spurred speculation that Poilievre would run for Parliament again in an Alberta riding.
Former prime minister Stephen Harper, who endorsed his one-time cabinet minister Poilievre during this year’s election campaign, represented a Calgary riding during his tenure in Parliament.
Battle River-Crowfoot, which covers a portion of eastern Alberta between Edmonton and Calgary, has been held by a Conservative since its formation in 2015. Previous ridings that were combined to form Battle River-Crowfoot have also been solidly Conservative since the modern version of the party was created in 2003.
Kurek won re-election with over 80 per cent of the vote in Monday’s election.
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Conservative MP will resign Alberta riding so Poilievre can run again
