Mark Carney says he will quickly call byelection for Pierre Poilievre, Alberta MP to resign

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    In his first press conference since his election win, Prime Minister Mark Carney detailed his government's priorities, a meeting with Trump and a visit from King Charles.

    By Nick Westoll and Lauryn Heintz

    An Alberta MP will resign to make way for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to run in a forthcoming by-election, the party announced Friday.

    Battle River-Crowfoot MP-elect Damien Kurek, who was re-elected to the seat on Monday with nearly 82 per cent of the vote, has represented the riding since 2019.

    The electoral district, which runs along the Alberta-Saskatchewan border from southeast of Edmonton to northeast of Calgary, is considered a Conservative stronghold.

    The Conservatives won 34 of Alberta’s 37 seats in this week’s vote. The provincial government is also conservative; the United Conservative Party, now led by Premier Danielle Smith, has been in power since 2019.

    Poilievre has proved to be popular in Alberta, with thousands of people showing up for his campaign events in Edmonton and Calgary.

    By-election prompted by Poilievre’s Carleton loss

    Poilievre lost his Carleton (Ontario) seat to Liberal candidate Bruce Fanjoy in Monday’s election. As a result, he’s not allowed to sit in the House of Commons when parliament resumes on May 26 even though he’s the party leader.

    Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday he will quickly call a byelection when requested.

    “I will ensure that it happens as soon as possible … no games, nothing, straight,” he told reporters.

    Kurek said in a statement his resignation is what’s best for the party and his constituents.

    “An unstoppable movement has grown under [Poilievre’s] 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,” the statement said.

    “The people of Battle River-Crowfoot will be represented well by Pierre for the remainder of this parliamentary session, and I will keep working with our incredible local team to do everything I can to remain the strong voice for you as I support him in the process.”

    In a post to social media, Poilievre thanked Kurek for allowing him a path forward.

    Kurek said his decision to leave is only for the current term and intends to run in the riding during the next general election.

    The statement didn’t say where Poilievre would run in the next general election.

    Under the federal law (the Parliament of Canada Act) and House of Commons procedures, the Leader of the Official Opposition, also referred to as “His Majesty’s Opposition,” must have a seat and represent a riding. The official opposition is the party with the second-highest number of seats. The Conservatives had 144 as of Friday.

    If a party leader doesn’t have a seat, a sitting MP will become the parliamentary leader and hold the title of Leader of the Official Opposition. There is historical precedent for having this type of leadership arrangement.

    As an official opposition leader, the representative has privileges beyond voting on legislation such as the ability to ask the first question (along with follow-ups) during question period. Being in the House of Commons often provides soundbites used in political advertising and having the ability to be on the floor greatly helps a leader’s visibility.

    Unclear where Poilievre, family will live

    Meanwhile, there has been speculation about whether or not Poilievre will be able to continue to live in Stornoway with his family.

    Nestled in Ottawa’s Rockcliffe Park neighbourhood more than a kilometre away from Rideau Hall, the Governor General’s official residence, Stornoway is the federally owned and maintained home for the Leader of the Official Opposition.

    However, the Official Residences Act calls for the property to be “maintained as a residence for the person recognized as the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons.” The law also allows for the Leader of the Official Opposition to have a maintained summer home anywhere in the formally designated National Capital Region. The opposition leader is also entitled to a steward or housekeeper and three other employees to help manage the property.

    As of Friday, it wasn’t clear how Stornoway would be occupied going forward.

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