Politics

Federal byelection called for Aug. 18 in Alberta's Battle River–Crowfoot riding

A federal byelection will be held in the Alberta riding of Battle River–Crowfoot on Aug. 18, Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced, setting the stage for Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre's potential return to the House of Commons.

Former Conservative MP Damien Kurek resigned so Pierre Poilievre can run for his seat

A composite photo of two white men. One is wearing a cowboy hat.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, left, is looking to get back into the House of Commons. Former Conservative MP Damien Kurek officially resigned less than two weeks ago so Poilievre could run in a byelection in the Alberta riding of Battle River-Crowfoot. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)

A federal byelection will be held in the Alberta riding of Battle River–Crowfoot on Aug. 18Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced, setting the stage for Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre's potential return to the House of Commons.

The announcement on Monday came less than two weeks after Conservative MP Damien Kurek officially stepped down from his seat.

Kurek signalled his intention to resign last month so Poilievre could run in the riding — one of the safest Conservative seats in the country.

But according to House rules, Kurek needed to wait 30 days after his election was posted in the Canada Gazette before he could actually step down.

Voters in Poilievre's former Ottawa-area riding of Carleton elected Liberal MP Bruce Fanjoy in a stunning upset. Poilievre had been elected seven straight times in the riding since 2004.

According to Elections Canada, Carney could have called the byelection any time between June 29 and Dec. 15. Shortly after he won the 2025 federal election, Carney told reporters he would not delay Poilievre's chance to become an MP again and would call a byelection as soon as possible.

Leadership review in January

Without a seat in the House of Commons, Poilievre cannot act as the Opposition leader in question period or participate in debate.

The Conservative caucus chose former party leader Andrew Scheer to lead the Opposition in the House of Commons on a temporary basis.  

Poilievre also faces a Conservative Party leadership review in January after the Tories failed to form government in the last federal election. If a leader does not resign, the party's constitution requires Conservative Party members to vote on whether that leader should stay on at its next national convention.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Associate Producer

Benjamin Lopez Steven is a reporter and associate producer for CBC Politics. He was also a 2024 Joan Donaldson Scholar and a graduate of Carleton University. You can reach him at benjamin.steven@cbc.ca or find him on Twitter at @bensteven_s.

With files from Darren Major