July 22, 2025
RED FM News Desk
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling for immediate changes to Canada’s election laws after more than 100 candidates registered to run against him in an upcoming federal byelection.
Poilievre, who is contesting the August 18 byelection in the Alberta riding of Battle River—Crowfoot, says the crowded ballot is the result of what he calls a “blatant abuse” of the democratic process. The candidates are being sponsored by the Longest Ballot Committee, an advocacy group known for fielding large numbers of contenders to draw attention to flaws in the electoral system.
The same group previously targeted Poilievre’s former riding of Carleton during a spring election.
In a letter addressed to Liberal House Leader Steve MacKinnon, Poilievre argued that the tactic is confusing voters and undermining the legitimacy of the democratic process by overwhelming the ballot with what he describes as “unserious” candidates.
To prevent similar situations in the future, the Conservatives are urging the government to introduce legislation requiring candidates to collect signatures from at least 0.5 per cent of a riding’s population—rather than the current minimum of 100 names. They are also proposing that each voter be allowed to endorse only one candidate and that riding agents be prohibited from representing multiple candidates at once.
The Conservative Party wants the proposed changes brought forward when Parliament resumes in September.
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