Following earlier media reports, Federal Conservative MP-elect Damien Kurek confirmed Friday afternoon that he intends to step aside for the current parliamentary session to allow Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to run in a by-election in the Alberta riding of Battle River–Crowfoot.
The announcement was posted to Kurek's social media accounts.
Full text of announcement today. Pierre Poilievre is the right guy for the job... Let's get him a seat in Parliament so we can restore the promise of Canada. Battle River-Crowfoot will be well served by him, and I promise to stay in the fight going forward. pic.twitter.com/51zyAlF44a
— Damien C. Kurek (@dckurek) May 2, 2025
The riding includes the towns of Linden, Three Hills and Drumheller, as well as communities such as Stettler, Camrose, Wainwright, Provost, Viking, Hanna and Coronation.
The announcement comes just days after the April 28 federal election, in which Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre lost his Ontario seat of Carleton and the Liberal Party won a national minority government under Prime Minister Mark Carney.
According to preliminary national results from Elections Canada, the Liberals were leading in 169 ridings with 43.7 per cent of the popular vote. The Conservatives, despite receiving 41.3 per cent of the vote, were ahead in 144 ridings. The Bloc Québécois was ahead in 22 ridings, and the NDP in seven. All but 54 polls across the country had reported as of Friday.
"It has been a tremendous honour to serve the good people of Battle River–Crowfoot as their Member of Parliament since 2019," the statement read. "Their support and commitment to the Conservative movement and our mission to bring back hope and prosperity to this country has been unmatched. Which is why, after much discussion with my wife Danielle, and I have decided to step aside for this Parliamentary session to allow our Conservative Party Leader to run here in a by-election."
Kurek was re-elected in the April 28 federal election with 81.8 per cent of the vote. According to preliminary results from Elections Canada, he received 53,502 votes.
Liberal candidate Brent Sutton followed with 7,482 votes (11.4 per cent), NDP candidate James MacKay with 2,847 (4.4 per cent), Jonathan Bridges of the People's Party with 1,063 (1.6 per cent), and Green Party candidate Douglas Gook with 479 (0.7 per cent). Voter turnout was 76.7 per cent, with all 278 polls reporting. The 81.8 per cent result was the highest Conservative vote share of any riding in the country.
"Pierre Poilievre just finished a remarkable national campaign that received the highest vote share since 1988," the statement read. "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."
Poilievre responded on social media earlier in the day, confirming he had accepted the offer.
"It is with humility and appreciation that I have accepted Damien Kurek's offer to resign his seat in Battle River–Crowfoot so that I can work to earn the support of citizens there to serve them in Parliament," Poilievre wrote on X.
"Damien's selfless act to step aside temporarily as a Member of Parliament shows his commitment to change and restoring Canada's promise. 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."
The Canadian Press reported Friday that the Conservative Party has confirmed Poilievre will run in Battle River–Crowfoot once the by-election is called. A party spokesperson also told CP that Kurek must be sworn in as an MP before he can formally resign the seat.
Preliminary Elections Canada results from Carleton show Liberal candidate Bruce Fanjoy received 43,900 votes (50.8 per cent), defeating Poilievre, who finished with 39,585 (45.8 per cent). Voter turnout in Carleton was 81.6 per cent, with all 266 polls reporting.
"Although it will be hard to temporarily step away from this role, in this region I love and have always called home, the mandate given to me is one that clearly states that change is needed," the statement that Kurek posted read. "Offering this seat to our Party Leader is an important step in that process."
Preliminary Elections Canada results for Alberta show the Conservative Party leading in 34 of the province’s 37 ridings, with 63.5 per cent of the popular vote. The Liberal Party led in two ridings with 27.9 per cent, and the NDP led in one riding with 6.3 per cent.
The People's Party received 0.9 per cent of the vote, followed by the Green Party at 0.4 per cent. All other parties, including the Centrist Party, Christian Heritage Party, Communist Party, and others, each recorded less than 0.3 per cent of the provincial vote.
A total of 2,262,524 votes were cast in Alberta, with voter turnout at 69.95 per cent. This does not include electors who registered on election day. Poll results were reported from 8,004 of 8,006 stations, as of Friday.
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