2025 Battle River—Crowfoot federal by-election

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A by-election was held on August 18, 2025, to elect a member of Parliament (MP) to represent Battle River—Crowfoot, Alberta, in the House of Commons for the remainder of the 45th Parliament following the resignation of Conservative Party MP Damien Kurek. The by-election was won by Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the Conservative Party, subsequently making him the leader of the Official Opposition.

Registered85,736
Turnout59.83% (Decrease 16.66 pp)
Quick facts Riding of Battle River—Crowfoot, Registered ...
2025 Battle River—Crowfoot by-election
← Apr 2025
August 18, 2025
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Riding of Battle River—Crowfoot
Registered85,736
Turnout59.83% (Decrease 16.66 pp)
 
Candidate Pierre Poilievre Bonnie Critchley
Party Conservative Independent
Popular vote 41,308 5,018
Percentage 80.86% 9.82%
Swing Decrease 1.98 pp n/a
Member of Parliament before election

Damien Kurek[a]
Conservative

 Elected member of Parliament

Pierre Poilievre
Conservative

Close

Poilievre defeated 213 other candidates and received 80.86 per cent of the vote, with the closest runner-up Independent candidate Bonnie Critchley receiving 9.82 per cent. Poilievre previously represented Carleton, Ontario, from the 2004 general election until his defeat by Liberal Party candidate Bruce Fanjoy in the 2025 general election.

Background

On May 2, 2025, prime minister Mark Carney affirmed his commitment to promptly ask governor general Mary Simon to issue a writ for the by-election when requested, stating, "If it's the decision of him and the Conservative Party to trigger ... a by-election, I will ensure that it happens as soon as possible."[1] Kurek announced his resignation later that day. Kurek said in a statement his resignation is what is best for the party and his constituents.[2] Kurek said he intends to run again in the riding in the next general election.[3]

By law, Kurek's resignation could not be officially tendered until 30 days after the publication of the election result in the Canada Gazette,[4] which occurred on May 15, 2025.[5] Kurek officially resigned on Tuesday, June 17, 2025.[6] The governor general, who could issue a writ of election no sooner than 11 days after notice is given of a vacancy, dropped the writ on June 30, 2025, for a by-election to be held on August 18, 2025.[7] The riding is considered a "stronghold" for the Conservatives.[8]

The riding was targeted by the Longest Ballot Committee which pushed the number of registered candidates to a record 214. Elections Canada opted to use write-in ballots instead of standard ballots, normally used for early voting at Elections Canada offices or when using a mail-in ballot. This is permitted by the Canada Elections Act during "an unusual or unforeseen circumstance."[9]

Timeline

Candidates

Grant Abraham

Abraham is the leader of the United Party of Canada. He is also a lawyer, author, and columnist. He ran for leader of the Conservative Party of Canada in 2022,[21] but was disqualified.[22][23][24]

He was a candidate in Ponoka—Didsbury in the 2025 federal election receiving 2,129 votes (3.1%). He also got 238 votes (0.7%) in the 2024 Durham federal by-election. He was also an unsuccessful candidate in the 2019 United Kingdom general election in the constituency of Strangford, where he stood for the Northern Ireland Conservatives.[25]

Abraham lives in Calgary.[26] He attended high school in Abbotsford, British Columbia, before completing bachelor's degree in business and English at Trinity Western University.[27] He completed a law degree at Queen's University Belfast.[27]

Abraham's campaign focused on advocating for Alberta separatism.[26][28]

Jonathan Bridges

Bridges was the candidate for the People's Party of Canada,[29] and is a heavy equipment mechanic[30][31] who lives in Linden, Alberta.[32] Bridges ran in the 2021 federal election as the PPC candidate in Bow River. After the 2022 Canadian federal electoral redistribution, his community of Linden was moved to Battle River—Crowfoot, and ran there in the 2025 federal election. He received 5,108 votes (10%) and 1,022 votes (1.5%) in those elections, respectively.[33][34][35]

Bridges said that he believes that Canada's major parties have drifted away from the values of Canadians, which he described as Judeo-Christian values. Maxime Bernier, the leader of the PPC, campaigned with Bridges,[31] and voiced support for Alberta's secession from Canada.[36]

Bonnie Critchley

Critchley ran as a "centrist independent"[37] candidate; she was a master corporal stationed at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright[37][38][39] and deployed to Afghanistan in 2011.[40] Critchley lives in Tofield, Alberta.[13]

Critchley ran as an alternative to Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.[41] She is a recipient of the General Campaign Star (South-West Asia) and the Canadian Forces' Decoration.[39]

Critchley opposes the carbon tax and recent changes by the Trudeau government to gun control laws.[42] She is in favour of electoral reform, particularly in light of the 'Longest Ballot Committee', is opposed to Albertan Independence,[43] and says that a focus of hers is on tackling the 'increasing cost of living".[44]

She had been described as the "most visible threat to Poilievre’s [re-election] prospects".[45][46]

Michael Harris

Michael Harris is a political sciences student who ran for the Libertarian Party to push forward a referendum on Albertan independence.[13][47][48][49] Harris said he is running on a "platform focused on individual liberty, Alberta autonomy, and ending federal programs like equalization and supply management."[50][51] Harris criticized Poilievre for using the riding as a "stepping stone to national ambitions".[51]

Kenneth Kirk

Kirk was the Marijuana Party candidate,[52] and leader of the party's unregistered provincial counterpart since 2000.[53][54][55] Kirk endorsed fellow candidate Bonnie Critchley, and encouraged people to vote for her despite being on the candidate list himself.[56][57]

Ashley MacDonald

MacDonald was the candidate for the Green Party of Canada. He lives in Red Deer, Alberta and works as a mental health worker.[58]

MacDonald previously ran for the Green Party in Red Deer in the 2025 federal election, receiving 618 votes (1.0%). He also has been involved with the Green Party of Alberta, previously serving as party president,[59] and ran provincially in Red Deer-South in 2023, getting 274 votes (1.1%).[60]

Douglas Gook was originally announced as the candidate for the party. However, he never registered with Elections Canada; thus, he was replaced. Gook ran in the 2025 general election in Battle River—Crowfoot, receiving 474 votes (0.74%).[61][62][63]

Pierre Poilievre

Main article: Pierre Poilievre

Poilievre worked for Canadian Alliance leader Stockwell Day. He was first elected in the 2004 federal election, initially representing the riding of Nepean—Carleton before it was redistributed as Carleton. Poilievre became the leader of the Conservative Party. He also served as leader of the Official Opposition from 2022 to 2025. In the 2025 Canadian federal election, Poilievre lost his seat of Carleton to Liberal candidate Bruce Fanjoy.

Darcy Spady

Spady was the candidate of the Liberal Party of Canada,[64][65] and is a professional engineer in the energy sector who manages a carbon emissions reduction company.[44] He grew up in Three Hills, in the riding, and was international president of the Society of Petroleum Engineers from 2018 to 2021.[65]

Sarah Spanier

Spanier was running as an independent and lives in Castor, Alberta.[66] She has worked in childcare, security, and social services.[67][68]

Katherine Swampy

Swampy, a band councillor for the Samson Cree Nation and Indigenous advocate, was announced as the candidate for the New Democratic Party for the by-election on July 8, 2025.[69] Swampy previously ran for the party in Leduc—Wetaskiwin in the 2025 federal election, placing third with 3,927 votes (6.1%),[70] and ran in the Edmonton Centre and Battle River—Crowfoot ridings in 2019 and 2015 respectively.

She has also run provincially for the Alberta NDP in 2023 in Maskwacis-Wetaskiwin and in 2015 in Drayton Valley-Devon.[71]

Jeff Willerton

Willerton was the candidate for the Christian Heritage Party of Canada.[52] He is an author, Canadian Armed Forces veteran, and formerly worked for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.[72] He considers himself to be a social and fiscal conservative.[73] He resides in Airdrie.[74] He has run for seats in various provincial and federal elections in Alberta since 1997. His highest vote shares were 15.8% in the provincial riding of Airdrie-Chestermere in 2008 as a Wildrose Party candidate and 1.4% in the 2017 Calgary Heritage federal by-election as a Christian Heritage candidate. [75]

Longest Ballot Committee candidates

The Longest Ballot Committee announced in May that they were targeting the by-election as part of its campaign protesting the first-past-the-post electoral system and would aim to have as many as 200 candidates placed on the ballot. The committee previously targeted Poilievre's former electoral district of Carleton in the 2025 federal election and claimed responsibility for adding 85 names to the ballot in that vote.[76] All of the declared independents except Colquhoun, Critchley, and Spanier are LBC candidates, a total of 201, far surpassing their previous record set earlier in 2025, and reaching their goal of 200 names. The grand total of 214 candidates on the ballot also more than doubles the previous all-time record of 91 set during the 2025 Carleton election and the 2024 LaSalle—Émard—Verdun federal by-election, both attributed to the LBC's efforts.[77]

Debates

More information Date, Organizers ...
2025 Battle River—Crowfoot federal by-election debates
Date Organizers Location Link  P  Participant
 I  Invitee  A  Absent invitee  N  Non-invitee		 Sources
Poilievre
Conservative		 Spady
Liberal		 Swampy
NDP		 Bridges
PPC		 MacDonald
Green		 Willerton
Christian Heritage		 Harris
Libertarian		 Kirk
Marijuana		 Abraham
United		 Critchley
Independent		 Spanier
Independent
July 29, 2025Camrose & District Chamber of Commerce[78]Cargill Theatre, Jeanne & Peter Lougheed Performing Arts Centre CamroseVimeo P P P P P P P A P P P [79]
July 31, 2025Talk Truth/Heritage Christian Ministries Association[80]The House Ministries Church TofieldYouTube A A A A N P P N P A N [81][82][83][84]
August 5, 2025Drumheller & District Chamber of Commerce[85](with support from the Hanna & District Chamber of Commerce)Badlands Community Facility – Banquet Halls B & C DrumhellerFacebook P P P A P P P A P P A [15]
August 7, 2025Stettler Public Library and Stettler Regional Board of Trade[86]Stettler Community HallFacebook A P P P P P P P P P P [16][87]
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Result

More information Party, Candidate ...
Canadian federal by-election, August 18, 2025: Battle River—Crowfoot
Resignation of Damien Kurek
Party Candidate Votes%±%
ConservativePierre Poilievre41,30880.86-1.98
IndependentBonnie Critchley5,0189.82–
LiberalDarcy Spady2,0954.10-7.57
New DemocraticKatherine Swampy1,0612.08-1.10
UnitedGrant Abraham7571.48–
People'sJonathan Bridges1380.27-1.31
GreenAshley MacDonald1160.23-0.50
LibertarianMichael Harris1030.20–
Christian HeritageJeff Willerton920.18–
IndependentSarah Spanier490.10–
MarijuanaKenneth Kirk400.08–
CentristAhmed Hassan150.03–
IndependentBert William Westergard110.02–
IndependentBreccan Zimmer110.02–
IndependentDillon Anderson100.02–
IndependentNicole Betts70.01–
IndependentNickolas Meuters-Murphy70.01–
IndependentDiane Prentice70.01–
IndependentGlen Armstrong60.01–
IndependentCaitlyn Baker60.01–
IndependentLisa Parsons60.01–
IndependentJason Buzzell50.01–
IndependentJenny Cartwright50.01–
IndependentDeborah Chalmers50.01–
IndependentWilliam Grant50.01–
IndependentPaul Jones50.01–
IndependentBrennen Perry50.01–
IndependentAnthony Perullo50.01–
IndependentMyles René Laurent St. Pierre50.01–
IndependentFraser Anderson40.01–
IndependentRebecca Boyce40.01–
IndependentPierre Gauthier40.01–
IndependentPreston Hoff40.01–
IndependentMark Ruthenberg40.01–
IndependentCeilidh Stewart40.01–
IndependentDanica Boe30.01–
IndependentAaron Bowles30.01–
IndependentSarah Burke30.01–
IndependentDavid Cherniak30.01–
IndependentJohn Dale30.01–
IndependentEmily Goose30.01–
IndependentCorey Hales30.01–
IndependentGrace Pender30.01–
IndependentNoah Reid30.01–
IndependentDavid Sader30.01–
IndependentMolly Sun30.01–
IndependentNicola Zoghbi30.01–
IndependentAlex Banks20.00–
IndependentStacy Lynn Billingsley20.00–
IndependentMarten Borch20.00–
IndependentJakeb Brown20.00–
IndependentAnnelies Cooper20.00–
IndependentHannah DeWolfe20.00–
IndependentElizabeth Dupuis20.00–
IndependentKenneth Durham20.00–
IndependentMichael Dyck20.00–
IndependentKatherine Dyson20.00–
IndependentMichael Louis Fitzgerald20.00–
IndependentDaniel Gagnon20.00–
IndependentKerri Hildebrandt20.00–
IndependentElsie Kipp20.00–
IndependentChris Kowalchuk20.00–
IndependentJohnson Hon Wa Lee20.00–
IndependentMaria Light20.00–
IndependentDerek Adam MacKay20.00–
IndependentJeffrey McLean20.00–
IndependentRiley Moss20.00–
IndependentKimberley Nugent20.00–
IndependentAlexander Panchuk20.00–
IndependentYagya Parihar20.00–
IndependentSamuel Pignedoli20.00–
IndependentLorant Polya20.00–
IndependentJayson Roy20.00–
IndependentAdam Smith20.00–
IndependentPatrick Strzalkowski20.00–
IndependentCallan Wassenaar20.00–
IndependentJeremy Wedel20.00–
IndependentHazel Westwood20.00–
IndependentNicholas Ashmore10.00–
IndependentMichael Bednarski10.00–
IndependentLilia Boisvert10.00–
IndependentAlain Bourgault10.00–
IndependentEva Bowering10.00–
IndependentJoshua Brauner10.00–
IndependentAlexandre Brochu10.00–
IndependentChun Chen10.00–
IndependentShawn Clendining10.00–
IndependentLindsay Elaine Shyla Colosimo10.00–
IndependentDylan Colquhoun10.00–
IndependentJayson Cowan10.00–
IndependentMichael Davis10.00–
IndependentGeneviève Dorval10.00–
IndependentJordan Drew10.00–
IndependentMurray Dunham10.00–
IndependentEric Duong10.00–
IndependentMark Eccleston10.00–
IndependentJeremy Edwards10.00–
IndependentAllison Fanjoy10.00–
IndependentGabriel Finn10.00–
IndependentHubert Fischer10.00–
IndependentMatthew Gillies10.00–
IndependentPeter Gorman10.00–
IndependentJacqueline Grabowski10.00–
IndependentAndrew Guenther10.00–
IndependentBlake Hamilton10.00–
IndependentJason Hodgson10.00–
IndependentDakota Hourie10.00–
IndependentUneeb Islam10.00–
IndependentMichael Jones10.00–
IndependentRichard Kenkel10.00–
IndependentMadison Kennedy10.00–
IndependentAbraham Lau10.00–
IndependentCharles Lemieux10.00–
IndependentRobert Marsden10.00–
IndependentAgnieszka Marszalek10.00–
IndependentGeoffrey Meens10.00–
IndependentSophia Nguyen10.00–
IndependentPascal Noël10.00–
IndependentSteve Oates10.00–
IndependentLény Painchaud10.00–
IndependentLanna Palsson10.00–
IndependentCéline Paquin10.00–
IndependentMeagan Roberge10.00–
IndependentMelanie Roberge10.00–
IndependentMark Russell10.00–
IndependentKayll Schaefer10.00–
IndependentHakim Sheriff10.00–
IndependentEric Shorten10.00–
IndependentBradley Stewart10.00–
IndependentMário Stocco10.00–
IndependentFaith Tabladillo10.00–
IndependentAlex Vallée10.00–
IndependentDennis Vanmeer10.00–
IndependentBryan Wang10.00–
IndependentJoshua Wong10.00–
IndependentYao ZhangLi10.00–
IndependentDavid Zhu10.00–
IndependentBarry Zukewich10.00–
IndependentMarthalee Aykroyd00.00–
IndependentLine Bélanger00.00–
IndependentMichel Bélanger00.00–
IndependentJeani Boudreault00.00–
IndependentJeffery Brazeau00.00–
IndependentBo Cai00.00–
IndependentCameron Campos00.00–
IndependentNicolas Champagne00.00–
IndependentJaël Champagne Gareau00.00–
IndependentClaude Cordon Pichilla00.00–
IndependentTristan Dell00.00–
IndependentGerrit Dogger00.00–
IndependentAbel Erazo-Ibarra00.00–
IndependentTracy Farber00.00–
IndependentBrian Farrenkopf00.00–
IndependentThomas Fitzgerald00.00–
IndependentConnor Fullerton00.00–
IndependentJordan Gerrard00.00–
IndependentEric Gilmour00.00–
IndependentLaurie Goble00.00–
IndependentDavid Patrick Greene00.00–
IndependentNicolette Gross00.00–
IndependentKathleen Gudmundsson00.00–
IndependentRichard Haley00.00–
IndependentKazimir Haykowsky00.00–
IndependentIriella Hicks00.00–
IndependentLoren Hicks00.00–
IndependentSeyed Hosseini Lavasani00.00–
IndependentGlendyn Howse00.00–
IndependentRyan Huard00.00–
IndependentJack Jean-Louis00.00–
IndependentDerek Jouppi00.00–
IndependentErich Jurgens00.00–
IndependentElza Kephart00.00–
IndependentDannielle Konkle00.00–
IndependentSolomon Krygier-Paine00.00–
IndependentAndrew Kulas00.00–
IndependentSamuel Lafontaine00.00–
IndependentAlain Lamontagne00.00–
IndependentEric Laverdure00.00–
IndependentJocelyn LeBlanc-Courchaine00.00–
IndependentAlexander Lein00.00–
IndependentRenée Lemieux00.00–
IndependentJeffrey Leroux00.00–
IndependentLitma Kai Ching Leung00.00–
IndependentCedric Ludlow00.00–
IndependentJennifer Margaret Mackenzie-Miller00.00–
IndependentNicolas Maltais00.00–
IndependentKevin Manzano00.00–
IndependentEric March00.00–
IndependentDevin McManus00.00–
IndependentRobert Melting Tallow00.00–
IndependentJoanne L Metters00.00–
IndependentNicholas Mew00.00–
IndependentMark Moutter00.00–
IndependentRob Mumford00.00–
IndependentMolly Munn00.00–
IndependentSam Nabi00.00–
IndependentJohn Francis O'Flynn00.00–
IndependentClifford Pine00.00–
IndependentBrian Ramchandar00.00–
IndependentSpencer Rocchi00.00–
IndependentWallace Richard Rowat00.00–
IndependentBarry Rueger00.00–
IndependentChris Scrimes00.00–
IndependentCharles Douglas Sleep00.00–
IndependentJulie St-Amand00.00–
IndependentPascal St-Amand00.00–
IndependentAndi Sweet00.00–
IndependentCorinne Unrau00.00–
IndependentTyson Warner00.00–
IndependentSimon John Edwin Wedel00.00–
IndependentMichaiah Williams00.00–
IndependentBrian Wishart00.00–
IndependentMichael Wisniewski00.00–
IndependentBelinda Christine Young00.00–
Total valid votes 51,08599.59–
Total rejected ballots 2110.41-0.19
Turnout 51,29659.83-16.66
Eligible voters 85,736–
Conservative hold Swing –
Source: Elections Canada[88]
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Previous result

More information Party, Candidate ...
2025 Canadian federal election: Battle River—Crowfoot
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
ConservativeDamien Kurek53,68482.84+11.55$91,654.90
LiberalBrent Sutton7,56611.67+7.38$3,126.03
New DemocraticJames MacKay2,0613.18–6.52none listed
People'sJonathan Bridges1,0221.58–7.69$4.50
GreenDouglas Gook4740.73–0.21none listed
Total valid votes/expense limit 64,80799.40–$159,014.07
Total rejected ballots 3910.60+0.16
Turnout 65,19874.45+2.67
Eligible voters 87,578
Conservative hold Swing +9.47
Source: Elections Canada[89][90][91]
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See also

Notes

  1. [a]
    Seat was vacant since June 17, 2025.

References

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