Canadian Convulsions > 100+ Names on ballot contesting Pierre Poilievre - a new Canadian record and disgrace

 

If this was happening to a Liberal candidate, it would be front-page news every day. But Canada's far-left media speaks not a word as democracy is disgraced again.

More Than 100 Candidates Now Running Against Poilievre, Breaking a Canadian Record

Chandra Philip

7/19/2025|Updated: 7/19/2025

The list of candidates running against Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre in an upcoming Alberta byelection has now grown to more than 100, setting a Canadian record.

There are currently 108 other candidates listed for the Battle River-Crowfoot riding as of July 19. The vast majority of the candidates are running as independents as part of a protest movement about Canada’s electoral system.

Or, at least, that's the excuse. More than likely they are being supported by any one of several people or groups who don't want the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament where he is so effective.

The byelection was called after MP Damien Kurek stepped down to allow Poilievre to run and win a seat. Poilievre lost his riding of Carleton in the recent federal election, which was similarly targeted by the protest movement with 90 candidates.

The Longest Ballot Committee (LBC) said it wants to organize about 200 candidates for the Alberta riding. The LBC was created to protest Canada’s first-past-the-post electoral system. In the Carleton riding, ballots were almost a metre long, and had to be folded several times to fit in the ballot box.

The group also organized for 77 candidates to run in the Toronto-St. Paul’s byelection in June 2024. The move resulted in voting delays.

The movement originated with the satirical Rhinoceros Party of Canada, founded in 1963. Some of its policies include making “sorry” the official motto of Canada, and naming “illiteracy” as the third official language of the country. The party has also said it would open “tax havens” in all provinces, and allow advertising in the House of Commons and Senate.

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Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault has previously said he has concerns about the protest movement creating a challenge for those with language or accessibility barriers to vote.

Last year, he recommended amendments to Bill C-65, which would change the Elections Canada Act, to prohibit voters from signing nomination papers for more than one candidate. The bill was terminated after Parliament was prorogued in January 2025.

Candidates not associated with the LBC have criticized the movement, including Poilievre, who called it “unjust” and “unfair” during a recent town hall meeting in Stettler, Alberta.

He said that Elections Canada could stop the LBC tactic by implementing new rules, including requiring every candidate on the ballot to have 1,000 unique signatures from community members. He also said that nobody should be permitted to sign a petition more than once.

“[This would] would make it impossible for 200 people to go out and have their names piled onto the list,” he said, noting that only candidates who are truly running for office should be listed on the ballot.

Libertarian candidate for the Battle River-Crowfoot riding Michael Harris said the movement was “a coordinated mockery of the democratic process” and that it drowned out “real debate.”

Elections Alberta said nominations for candidates in Battle River-Crowfoot close on July 29, with a full list of candidates to be released on July 30.