Alberta Interim Election: Pierre Poilievre in Battle River-Crowfoot

Good afternoon.

Wendy Cox here. Mark Ippe is eliminated for a break.

Albertanen in Battle River-Crowfoot today go to the polls in an interim election to determine whether conservative leader Pierre Poilievre will win a chair in the Lower House.

The result is not really questioning: former MP Damien Kurek, who won with almost 82 percent of the votes in the April elections, agreed to give in his chair to activate the interim election.

Local Concerns

Yet that does not mean that everyone agrees that having a member of parliament who represents a national party and whose main goal is to become prime minister one day is necessarily a good thing for driving.

Globe reporter Emma Graney spoke with Mathew Banack on the annual bench show of the Round Hill Agricultural Society. The self-described political junkie expects Poilievre to win, but wonders how much time the federal leader will devote to an area in which he has never represented, let alone lived in it.

“We are represented by backbenchers as long as I live,” Banack told Graney with a shoulder pickup.

“Alberta is such a conservative stronghold, it is unlikely that we will see cabinet agreements because they do not have to throw a bone at this part of the world to get conservative seats.”

Community Response

At the end of last month, Poilievre attended a debate in the entire candidate and was greeted with cheers and applause by hundreds of Albertans.

“My mission here is to give national leadership to the issues of local importance,” he told the sold-out crowd.

But even Poilievre grinned when the liberal candidate Darcy Spady introduced himself and joked: “I come from three hills, and I don’t want to be a prime minister.”

Poilievre argued that choosing the leader of a political party is a consideration. Leaders are usually on the road, he said. “The other side, however, is that the leader can bring a very powerful megaphone for the local issues of the community.”

Local Perspectives

Bonnie Critchley is not convinced.

She told Graney that she runs like an independent as a resident in driving – she lives in Tofield, about 50 kilometers north of Camrose. She usually hopes to take enough of the voice share of the conservatives to send a message that “we are not impressed by this stunt.”

“It’s just not good to let him come in like a parachute candidate,” she said about peppermint tea in a local restaurant.

As far as she is concerned, Mr. Poilievre gives “no back of a rat” about the people of driving.

But Debbie Blouin, a member of the Round Hill Show Committee and Keen Gardener, told Graney that Poilievre seemed to be very visible at the moment in our area.

“I think he will work for us, but he will work for us in a different way than here,” she said.

Opinions and Expectations

Ron Holt, a resident of Camrose, said that his hope for a conservative victory is heavier than his concern that Mr. Poilievre is not in driving.

“I feel that he wants a little bit the best for everyone. I can’t say the same for other candidates,” said Mr. Holt and added: “I have absolutely no sense for Carney.”

The enormous size of driving will be a challenge for those who win. With 52,589 square kilometers, the geographical and social diversity with various First Nations, Canadian forces that include Wainwright, oil and gas development, rolling green agricultural land and Scrubby desert Badlands.

And if Poilievre is the winner, his professional challenges, after-schooled driving and running the official opposition in a parliament and barely, are not over.

This is the weekly Alberta newsletter written by Alberta Bureau Chief Mark Iype. If you read this on the internet, or if it has been sent to you from someone else, you can register for this and all Globe newsletters here.