Pierre Poilievre returns to House of Commons after shock April loss and narrower margin in Tory stronghold
Canada’s Conservative leader, Pierre Poilievre, has won a closely watched byelection in the province of Alberta, giving him a chance to return to parliament after suffering a shock defeat in April’s federal election.
Poilievre finished with 80.4% of the vote after Monday’s election in the riding of Battle River-Crowfoot, in the deeply Conservative western province.
“Thank you very much to the great people of Battle River-Crowfoot,” Poilievre told supporters as he celebrated the victory with his family in the city of Camrose. “If I stand before you here today, it is by the grace of God and the good generosity of so many people … Getting to know the people in this region has been the privilege of my life.”
Poilievre, the leader of the opposition, lost the seat he had held for more than 20 years in April’s national election. He now replaces Damien Kurek, who volunteered to resign his seat in order to give Poilievre a chance return to parliament.
