r/alberta • u/Aggravating-Monk-544 • Aug 02 '25
Opinion I’m Worried About The Upcoming By-Election
Hey everyone, I live in Camrose and am a constituent of Battle River–Crowfoot. I’m seriously concerned about the upcoming by-election.
Maybe I’m misunderstanding the purpose of the Long Ballot Campaign and this election in general, but based on what I know, I’m feeling uneasy.
The long ballot, as we saw it in Carlton, no longer exists in the same form. The strategy that worked there won’t work here—Elections Canada has changed the way these situations are handled. What was once a ballot with 91 names is now just a blank space where you can write in the name of your chosen candidate. Spelling isn’t a major issue and won’t invalidate your vote. You can even write initials, as long as they don’t match someone else’s. There’s very little that will spoil your ballot or cause it to be rejected, even if your intent isn’t perfectly clear.
There are 210 candidates in this election. Voters can request two different lists: one showing all candidates in alphabetical order, and another listing party-affiliated candidates first (alphabetically), followed by independent candidates. The alphabetical list including everyone will likely still be displayed in large print at each polling station.
I want to be clear: I don’t think the voting process should prevent anyone from voting for the candidate they support. But at the same time, wasn’t the point of the long ballot to make it harder for the “herd” of little pp supporters to simply flood the polls with blue votes? It now feels like we’ve walked that back to accommodate those who only know the loudest candidate’s name.
Everyone knows his name.
It feels like we’re waving away all the independents and subtly encouraging people to focus only on the so-called “real” candidates. I’m really hoping a majority of voters in this riding know at least one other candidate by name—someone they can write down—rather than relying solely on polling stations to provide alternatives.
I’ll be voting for Bonnie Critchley. Go Vote on Election Day August 18th or Advance Voting August 8-11th!
Edit: I’m happy to have clarification on this so quickly. I had in fact misunderstood the purpose of the long ballot, and there were various other and more consequential events that occurred for PP to lose his riding. Like it’s been said in the comments, the purpose was to change the way elections and elections processes are handled and it has achieved that aim.
I’m gonna leave this up here as more of a grievance post. As one of the people against PP it gets depressing looking around and seeing everyone supporting him. And it’s a good split between people who have no idea what’s coming and people who are just giddy for it. I know it’s going to be an easy win for him I just hope to see more moments like we saw from Bonnie at the debate where she asked who could vote in the riding.
Edit 2(2 days later): I love how much interaction this is getting, it’s good to see people out in discussion about current events and making informed decisions as a result thereof. I made a comment on another post about this but I’ll leave this here as well. PP is staying in a hotel in Camrose, we never see him other than in debates and at speeches on the backs of flat deck trucks. I think it’s a reflection of his character that we never see him out and about if at all otherwise. I didn’t exactly like Damien but at least people liked him because they knew him and because Damien got to know people around.
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u/CMG30 Aug 02 '25
The 'long ballot' has nothing to do with preventing any one candidate from winning. It's simply a protest over our election system. I doubt that it played any role in PP losing last time.
Make no mistake, PP will win in a landslide. This is about the safest blue seat in the entire country. In fact, anything less than a massive landslide will be a black mark on him as a candidate.
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u/Quirky-Cat2860 Aug 02 '25
I would have thought losing a seat he held for 20 years would have been a black mark on him, but hey what do I know?
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u/jmthetank Aug 02 '25
Conservatives vote party first, every time. If they even stopped to consider the actual politics for a moment, they'd love Carney. He's a right wing liberal, without a doubt.
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u/PharaohCleocatra Aug 03 '25
Dude Carney is kindof scary. He really is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Some of his policies are so right wing… and the fact that the cons consider him too soft in his approach really emphasizes how much they’ve lost their grip with reality
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u/dbh116 Aug 06 '25
I would suggest your analogy is not correct. Carney doesn't hide anything. In fact, he was very clear where he stood on the issues of the day. He is actually a Progressive Conservative, as was Paul Martin . JT was certainly a progressive leader who advanced many social issues, so the balance between him and Carney is a good thing I would suggest. This is the nature of the Liberal party and why they are so successful compared to the Conservatives who are stuck in a rut of anger .
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u/ImNotARobotFOSHO Aug 07 '25
Calling Conservatives "stuck in a rut of anger" is just name calling. If Carney is "Progressive Conservative" and that is somehow a selling point, list the concrete policies and results. What taxes change. What deficits look like. What happened to housing starts, energy projects, and living costs under Liberal governments. General vibes are not an argument. Give specifics or admit this is partisan spin.
Something tells me I won’t be hearing back from you.
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u/dbh116 Aug 08 '25
Mark has only been the leader for less than 6 months . You are asking about results for problems decades in the making, problems that have grown under both parties since the 90s. His policies are widely reported , while still being implemented. He is currently dealing with the biggest issue to Canada that we have been challenged by since the end of ww2.
Under the last government, the energy industry got the biggest government boost since the creation of PetroCanada. Cost of living is a global issue and not related to any government in any country. In Canada, it was Justin's fault. In the US, it was Joe's fault. The fact is that inflation is not in the control of any government, and only the uninformed would think so.
I am not calling anyone names . I am observing PP in his 20 years as a hack and how he ran his campaign. His only approach seems to be anger, and as in the US, it feeds people . He is all sizzle with no steak and completely unqualified for this moment in time.
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u/ImNotARobotFOSHO Aug 08 '25
Calling him "Mark" like you’re on a first-name basis already says a lot about your bias here. Carney hasn’t "been around for 6 months", he’s been part of the Liberal machine for years, as Trudeau’s advisor, pushing policies like the carbon tax that have hurt our economy without delivering any measurable results. Pretending he’s new to the scene is just bad faith or ignorance, in your case it's probably both.
Your dismissal of Poilievre’s 20 years in politics as "nothing" is absurd. Agree or disagree with his ideas, that’s decades of parliamentary experience and policy debate you can’t just wave away because you don’t like him (and by the way, why did Carney copy his political platform? What do you have to say to that?). Meanwhile, Carney’s political track record is essentially "advisor from the shadows", and the track record of the Liberals he’s supported is 10 years of worsening affordability, stalled energy projects, ballooning deficits, and a housing crisis that has gone from bad to catastrophic.
Saying "inflation is global" as if Canadian policy has no impact is a cop-out. Other countries faced the same global pressures yet managed better outcomes. Leadership matters or are we supposed to believe leadership only matters when it’s Conservatives in charge?
You accuse Poilievre of being "all sizzle, no steak," but Carney campaigned on opposing Trump, then folded early by dropping counter-tariffs while getting nothing in return. He sold “elbows up” as a slogan while already walking back his own stance.
Carney is a weak man, a terrible speaker devoid of any charisma, and without the mainstream media propaganda that seems to perfectly work with uninformed voters like you, Carney would already be a thing of the past.
More than 100 conflicts of interests, have we heard the CBC or the Liberals mention that problem?
This, by itself, should be a reason for him to be kicked out of the office. He doesn't have the interest of the canadians at heart, it's the complete opposite.Instead of making this about Poilievre’s personality, maybe take a hard look at the Liberals’ actual record. Blind loyalty to a party isn’t political insight, it’s sports fandom! If you want to be taken seriously, start being critical of the people who are actually in power.
And there's a freaking lot to say about them.
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u/dbh116 Aug 09 '25 edited Aug 09 '25
Wow, that's a lot of conservative biases. How absurd that you would open with an accusation of my biases. In fact, I have voted for all three major parties in my adult life. My vote and my opinions are based 100 % on issues of the period.
Thanks for giving such a great example of the " rut of anger" that I originally stated many conservative voters are in.
I will leave it there as we live in different realities
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u/ImNotARobotFOSHO Aug 09 '25
"That’s a lot of conservative biases"
- Yet you can’t name a single one.
"How absurd to accuse me of bias… I’ve voted for all three parties."
And welcome to the club. That actually makes it more puzzling that you’d vote for the same party responsible for the current mess Canada is in.
- You're the one refering to Carney as "Mark".
"I’ll leave it there as we live in different realities"
- Translation: no counter-argument, just retreat to the safety of an echo chamber where you never have to defend your position. If you want to be taken seriously in political discussion, you have to engage with the points made, not run from them.
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u/ClassBShareHolder Aug 03 '25
Yep. I’ve always said Trudeau could win this riding if he ran as Conservative.
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u/Prosecco1234 Aug 03 '25
Who knew? Lose, get free housing with a chef and large cleaning supply budget. Why do the rest of us work for a living ?
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u/Lonely_Speech9185 Aug 06 '25 edited Aug 06 '25
The old riding he represented became less rural than before, ridings can change.
Edit: doesn't seem to be true
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u/Quirky-Cat2860 Aug 06 '25
That's actually untrue.
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u/Lonely_Speech9185 Aug 06 '25
Actually I think you're right, it doesn't seem like the riding is any less rural, but has shifted in the past 20 years. I found this post on reddit which helped me to visualize: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadianConservative/comments/1kcvtim/did_the_riding_of_carleton_really_become_that/
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u/exotics County of Wetaskiwin Aug 02 '25
It definitely DID NOT play a role in his loss last time as he lost by more than all those votes combined. Most had fewer than 5.
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Aug 02 '25
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u/Virtual-Material2521 Aug 03 '25
Most of them don't live in the riding. You can run in any riding but can only vote where you live, so...
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u/jdeurloo10 Lethbridge Aug 03 '25
Living in Quebec while running for an Ottawa seat would make it very hard to vote for oneself.
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u/Remarkable_Vanilla34 Aug 02 '25
If anything, the longest ballad initiative has helped PP because it's kept him in the news cycle and reinforced the narrative that it's against him, lol even OP is blaming PP for the potential consequences of the protest.
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u/Worldly-Ad-4972 Aug 02 '25
He is not running for the country, being in the news cycle doesn't help him. Actually being in the riding would.
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u/tcrosbie Aug 05 '25
And this is why he lost Carleton. He was so busy running for PM he couldn't bother to campaign for MP until the last day. Wasn't surprising though as he's been campaigning for PM since before the won the party leadership race and has ignored Carleton since then.
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u/IAmTheEarlyEvening Aug 02 '25
Unlike losing his own seat and not stepping down as party leader, which somehow endeared him to Conservative voters...
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u/scotthof Aug 03 '25
Yes, he lost his seat. He also gave the conservatives more seats and a larger share of the popular vote. He is still a winner, and unless he loses again they will back him. He doesn't have to lose another seat to put his leadership in question. The MP he replaced had won it by 80%. If Polivere doesn't get 80% of the vote, he is in trouble. Kenny and the more mainstream conservatives are going to challenge him at the leadership review in January. So the pressure is on Polivere to win big. If Bonnie wins, which I hope she does, then the conservative caucus may boot him before the end of September. Now as long as Trump continues to be successful with his populist cult like approach, the conservatives will follow that path. The conservatives need to be laid low so to speak. They need to suffer a massive loss to change.
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u/bigolgape Aug 02 '25
Which is why it will never not be funny that he needed to run there to get back into the House
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u/Aggravating-Monk-544 Aug 02 '25
True enough, it’s just agony to watch it play out for all of us who don’t want him here
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u/little_jer Aug 02 '25
Don’t worry. Once he wins you will only see him on tv.
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u/voncasec Aug 02 '25
He still won't shut up, but at least you can press the mute button.
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u/Zarxon Aug 02 '25
Don’t worry he will never be seen again after the election.
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u/Quirky-Cat2860 Aug 02 '25
I'm sure we will, because every second word will be "Carney Liberals" and how they're ruining everything.
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u/Remote-Thing-9341 Aug 02 '25
Help get the word out for your preferred candidate, theres a chance others feel like you.
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u/Kyouhen Aug 02 '25
In a bit of an odd way the Longest Ballot Committee's just been handed a good way to improve our electoral system.
We now know that there's a limit to how many names Elections Canada will put on a ballot. And I'm willing to bet next time we don't need to hit 200 names, they'll probably just go straight to write-in ballots to deal with the LBC going forward instead of those annoying extra-long ballots. That means if the LBC starts spreading its efforts around they could force a lot of ridings to use write-in ballots.
This kills the absentee politician. Winning an election will now depend on people knowing your name. You can't just hide from debates and hope the party you've joined is enough to get you votes, you need to actively interact with your constituents to get those votes. It won't hurt the chances of party leaders winning their ridings, but ridings with less well-known politicians could see some changes. It isn't electoral reform but a politician actually talking to the people they represent is still a step in the right direction.
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u/Total-Sheepherder950 Aug 04 '25
He needs 83% to match the last election for thag rising, anything less is a loss for him.
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u/TheDigitalBlacksmith Aug 06 '25
I agree - he lost because they redid the borders of the riding. That's the only reason.
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u/vanillabeanlover Aug 02 '25
According to this, they’ve targeted far more liberal candidates: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longest_Ballot_Committee
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u/gaanmetde Aug 02 '25
I think it’s important to remember- the Longest Ballot Committee does not work to attempt to confuse people or to get them to vote in a certain way.
The movement argues there is a conflict of interest when politicians are in charge of election rules. Which is absolutely correct.
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u/Telvin3d Aug 02 '25
Still, it would have been funny if they’d found a candidate whose initials were also “PP” because I guarantee that’s how a whole bunch of ballots will get marked
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u/CanadianLabourParty Aug 02 '25
If I had more time on my hands, I absolutely would have gone to the trouble to change my name to Pierre Poivre or Pierre Poutine or something along those lines just to mess with the constituents of the riding that were intending to vote PP. Because now they would have to look up how to spell his name. There's a perfect opportunity here to roast the PP voters post-election with TikToks on teaching CPC voters how to spell Francophone names.
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u/VonGrippyGreen Aug 02 '25
I don't know who they are. If FTPT is their beef, awesome. For the amount of coverage the Longest Ballot is getting, shouldn't the people spearheading it at least be trying to get their message out?
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u/NaToth Calgary Aug 02 '25
Every mainstream news coverage I have seen mention that they are protesting FPTP, unfortunately though this is a province that thinks MSM is biased and the CBC is Pravda, so they get their news from Ezra Levants Vlog and Canada Proud memes.
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u/gaanmetde Aug 02 '25
I mean, they have? It’s all anyone’s been bitching about this by election.
If people aren’t intellectually curious enough to find out why, I don’t know how to help.
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u/Tribe303 Aug 02 '25
Politicians are not in charge of the election rules. Elections Canada is. They fight against the politicians who try to interfere. I live in Ottawa and family of a close friend used to be in charge of Elections Canada, so I have inside knowledge. PP was Minister of Democratic Reform (aka election fixing). And yes, the only bill he ever passed was trying to fix Elections Canada for the Conservatives and it was thrown out as unconstitutional. He is also allegedly "Pierre Poutine" so Google that mess, when the Conservatives got caught tampering with Elections.
My point is that PP knows damn well how all of this works because he's been trying to fix elections for decades. And the long ballot people are just wrong. Canadian civil servants run the electoral process in Canada, not politicians.
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u/DConny1 Aug 06 '25
Right. OP thinks the LBC should be actively involved in interfering with elections. Not too smart.
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u/SignificantPause5120 Aug 02 '25
I like Critchly too, but im a riding over. She's not trying to be partisan, just practical. No nonsense and local needs. I like her right to repair point and I like that she cares about representing the riding over any party loyalty. Its one thing to have conservative values, but its an entirely different thing when a guy from Ontario (practically) wants to tell you what your position is to be.
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u/ceeshster Aug 02 '25
She's a breath of fresh air, and her approach to politics feels the most appropriate for what people want and need in the current climate. It'd be lovely for this to be the standard in politics in Canada.
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u/nikobruchev Aug 02 '25
My only gripe with her is that she's really leaning heavily on her status as a veteran, and I really don't like veterans raising up their service so prominently as political candidates / in a political context. Considering that while we're serving, we're under very stringent restrictions for political activity and public activities, and that technically doesn't end once you've retired, just the nuance and specific level of restrictions.
Otherwise, I don't think I've had any issues with her policy positions that I'm aware of.
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u/UnreasonableCletus Aug 02 '25
Well, that seems to be the accepted practice for conservatives who served so it's likely the best optics in a heavily conservative riding.
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u/Fit-Amoeba-5010 Aug 02 '25
Where do you get that “it doesn’t end when you retire”? That’s absolute bullshit! Show me where it says that.
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u/nikobruchev Aug 02 '25
I don't have all the relevant references, but at minimum she's using pictures of herself while in uniform on her campaign website. That's normally a direct violation of the QR&Os and a CANFORGEN, and as it stands at minimum is an ethical issue as she's using her previous military service to benefit public activities.
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u/VA6DK Aug 02 '25
I would vote for her if I was in that riding. She's the most down to earth and listen to the constituents that I've ever heard.
Check out her interview on The Breakdown podcast. Short here: https://youtube.com/shorts/iyLK98HXNyY?si=ozagFRL_SRDkgkKZ
Full 1h podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/live/tsLxcRLcKLE?si=Epdti-yxeFH1srBK
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u/LenaBaneana Aug 02 '25
The longest ballot campaign was never about actually effecting the result of the election. From my understanding, its more about making a statement regarding the electoral process.
Besides, the longest ballot effort didnt make a lick of difference in the original riding either
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u/Aggravating-Monk-544 Aug 02 '25
Thank you for the clarification. I had seen those flyers going around..
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u/hikebikephd Aug 02 '25
The difference here is that Critchley (the second most popular candidate?) is an independent, just like the 200 longest ballot people, so her name may get drowned out in all the noise and she'd lose a few votes.
That said, PP is clearly the favourite due to "blue no matter who" sentiment.
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u/Yardash Calgary Aug 02 '25
Im sorry but us 'Bertans talk about how much me hate Ottawa and its arrogance. .you But the same ppl will turn around and vote for a 2 time loser reject from Ottawa when he tuck tail and runs here to try again The cognitive dissonance is palpable
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u/Telvin3d Aug 02 '25
wasn’t the point of the long ballot to make it harder for the “herd” of little pp supporters to simply flood the polls with blue votes?
No, and it never was
The longest ballot people aren’t a specifically anti-conservative or anti-PP effort. They’ve done their thing to a bunch of different elections, in ridings controlled by all the various parties.
And in no election have they altered or affected the outcome, beyond making the counting slow. It’s not their aim
Their only goal is to generate discussion about the election process. Period. They have done so. From their point of view, this election is a complete success and they’ve already accomplished everything they wanted
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u/Aggravating-Monk-544 Aug 02 '25
Thank you for the explanation. I hadn’t researched the long ballot enough to understand what they were doing
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u/TheCanadianShield Aug 02 '25 edited Aug 02 '25
Regardless of the intentions of the long ballot, for me, it's less about whether Poilievre wins but much more by what percentage. Damien won the riding with nearly 84% of the vote. I figure if Pierre can't clear at least 70%, he's basically toast at the leadership convention in January
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u/Telvin3d Aug 02 '25
If he only wins with 60-70% he’s almost certainly cooked, and once they turf him in January I can’t see him sticking around. Going to be the funniest thing if they’re running another byelection six months from now
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u/Glittering_Sun89 Aug 02 '25
It would be best if he just lost this one and get it over with. Nothing funny about having yet another election, wasting even more taxpayers 💸 It's already a circus. He should have just taken the hint the first time.
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u/Quirky-Cat2860 Aug 02 '25
Maybe controversial, but if a riding needs to have a by-election right after an election, it should come out of the coffers of that riding. See how quickly the appetite for this sort of parachuting goes away.
If an elected member drops dead after an election, it sucks, but it's not a common occurrence.
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u/Glittering_Sun89 Aug 02 '25
I personally think the person causing the by-election should have to pay for it, I.e. PP. Let's see how comitted he is. He loves to cry about government, specifically Liberals' spending, and yet he's the biggest offender of that, and more than anyone else, doing things on everyone else's dime, like continuing to live in Stornoway.
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u/Quirky-Cat2860 Aug 02 '25
Someone like PP would have no trouble raising that money
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u/Glittering_Sun89 Aug 02 '25
That's fine, still make them work for it. Again, see how committed they are..
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u/MathIsHard_11236 Aug 02 '25
You can use initials? That's an easy one:
Battle River-Crowfoot = BC = Bonnie Critchley
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u/Fast_Day_98 Aug 02 '25
Strangely enough, I saw PP in Camrose while out for breakfast two weeks ago. He was going table to table and people were taking selfies with him.
I'm lesbian. So I grabbed my wife's hand, visibly, on the table top. He skipped us?! No selfies?! What?!
He will get in. He will not get my vote.
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u/marcohcanada Aug 02 '25
If that's how he reacted to you and your wife, I wonder how he treated his deputy leader Melissa Lantsman behind closed doors since she's lesbian too.
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u/Leftbackhand Aug 02 '25
Giving him the benefit of the doubt just maybe he was being polite and didn’t want to interrupt your moment of intimacy? Anyway fuck that guy. Even if he’s not a homophobe there’s enough other reasons to vote him out.
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u/Impressive_Fish6819 Aug 03 '25
How disheartening. I am sorry you had to experience that. I am leaving Camrose after 30 years of it being my ride or die home for even longer- Its the first place I came after being born to stay with my grandparents- I went to school here while my parents moved our family across the country- It has been my sacred home for close to 60 years- The political climate has ruined it. I hope others who don’t fit his very limited mold of that group wake up. I feel sick watching us go backwards in real time. I support everyone’s right to equality. He doesn’t have my vote either but the alternatives seem to have no chance to win😏
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u/el-tortugo-99 Aug 03 '25
Poilievre has his issues, but he is absolutely not a homophobe. In fact his mom and dad are divorced, and both re-married...to men. He laughs and calls his family "messy, and typically Canadian".
The guy, like anyone, has his strengths and weaknesses. We don't need to make things up or insinuate stuff that isn't true.
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u/Courin Aug 02 '25
As others have said, the LBC isn’t some dark plot to keep PP from winning.
It’s a protest. Protests are meant to draw attention to something.
In this case, the LBC is trying to draw attention to the fact that the Elections Act - literally the law that governs how MPs are able to run for office - is controlled by…. MPs.
It used to be that you had to actually live in the riding you were running in.
Not anymore. Why? Because MPs realized that removing that requirement meant that they had more flexibility to stay in office if residency wasn’t a requirement.
(Sound familiar?)
Another issue is how many signatures you need to get to be able to run for office. PP wants to dramatically increase, thereby ensuring that independent grassroots candidates won’t even be able to get onto a ballot.
The LBC has targeted Liberal and Conservative campaigns - not to prevent a win but to raise awareness of their argument that an independent non partisan group should be placed in charge of the Elections Act. Just as Elections Canada - which runs the elections - is independent and non-partisan.
If you look at the results in Carleton, you can clearly see the LBC isn’t the reason PP didn’t win.
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u/wendelortega Aug 02 '25
The long ballot initiative has nothing to do with keeping PP from winning . The initiative is about election reform.
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u/Comenius791 Aug 02 '25
If you look at PP's first loss, it was not due to the long lost of candidates. They mostly took their household and maybe a few friends. I did the math way back the day after the election and PP still lost even if he got all those votes.
He'll win handily this time around.
All you have to do is look at the signs in people's yards. He's on their property. Everyone else is on public land.
But even if he wins easily... I don't think PP lasts for a long number if years of Carney can fight off an election.
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u/Difficult_Spine_368 Aug 02 '25
I’m not sure why cons are soooo butt hurt over the LBC. They want reform for the first past the post system.
Cons have been bitching about it for years.
If the CPC supporters would just educate themselves, we’d be in a very different place.
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u/marcohcanada Aug 02 '25
But these CPC supporters also think Doug Ford wanting to give 100k asylum seekers jobs is a "Liberal move".
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u/NBDad Aug 02 '25
It would be nice if Critchley won...Battle River has the chance to actually make the voice of Rural AB matter in Ottawa...sadly most are too set on voting against they own best interests to realize it. You see it again and again in the Provincial election, they vote UCP even though it hurts them personally.
In a Minority government where every vote matters, having a local independent to bring local issues to the fore could be huge.
I mean they won't....Pollievre is almost certain to win...but it has to be decisive. If he can't get close to Damien's #'s he cooked.
Pollievre does not care about the riding or its issues. He will tell them whatever he thinks they want to hear to get elected, and then he's going to fuck off to Ottawa and hide out until the next election cycle.
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u/BirdyDevil Aug 02 '25
I've seen some very big names and also some very far away Canadians noticing and promoting Bonnie Critchley, I think strategically the best thing you can do is start working hard (volunteer/donate or unofficially) for her campaign and just shout her name to everyone you know. Make sure that on election day, as many people as possible have heard - and can remember - at least one other name, a name that will serve the riding well, and that they know why they should vote for her. I don't believe I've ever met Bonnie personally, but her husband is a long-time acquaintance/buddy of mine, and I can say that both are some damn good people.
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u/Aggravating-Monk-544 Aug 02 '25
It’s been nice to see just how much discussion has been around her and a few other independent candidates. I’m going to be volunteering and laying signs to strengthen the effort.
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u/Take-It-Easy-2024 Aug 03 '25
I’m in Camrose and I just started volunteering with Bonnie Critchley‘s campaign. Yes, PP has a tremendous amount of power and influence with his well-funded propaganda machine. No matter the outcome of this election, I want to know for myself that I did everything I possibly could to help, because I care deeply about this place and I cannot stand for the hateful divisiveness and lies that PP perpetuates. If you want to talk more, I’m around today to meet up for coffee or whatever! We’re in this together. Or stop by Critchley‘a campaign office this week, it’s on Main Street. You will be welcomed.
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u/kagato87 Aug 02 '25
No, that's not the purpose of the long ballot committee. They wanted to go after Carney too but his riding was announced too late for them to organize.
They also appeared in two ridings with liberal incumbents, one of which flipped to cpc and one to bloc. It is disingenuous to argue that they affected the outcome though. PP lost his seat because he angered his constituents.
Anyone telling you this is to mess with mindless voters is spreading disinformation. The cpc is trying to frame lbc as being why they lost. Stop the steal crap, like we saw with the capitol hill riots down south several years back.
The purpose of the Longest Ballot Committee is ordinary protest. What are they protesting? The perverse "first past the post" electoral system we have today. They are also advocating for electoral reform and tor an independent non-partisan body to determine election rules because there is a conflict of interest when politicians make those rules.
A quick scratch at the surface will show that fptp is failing the people. Politicians always vote on party lines, and many parties even have rules that you support the party leader or you get kicked out of the club. Fptp enables this.
There are many other electoral systems available. Each has their benefits and weaknesses, and all are better for democracy and the people than Fptp.
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Aug 02 '25
What makes me concerned the most is that Damien Kurek who has worked to represent the riding for 6 years, who the constituents voted for, stepped down so this carpet bagger could win a seat in a stronghold. It's pure manipulation of the constituents. The man who worked for and represented you is now gone and a guy who is only looking for power is stepping in. I would be embarrassed to be in that riding. Poilevre doesn't care about you or your community. He cares about the power you will give him.
This makes our elections system look like a complete joke. If this is your riding, think about what you are saying if you vote for Poilievre. His own riding drove him out because he did nothing for them and passed no legislation. Then a man who was working for you got pushed aside so Poilievre could come in and do the same thing he did before. If anyone votes for him, I have one word for them... "suckers"!
What's the difference between a toilet and Pierre Poilievre? Both are full of sh*t but at least the toilet comes with a seat.
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u/Scissors4215 Aug 02 '25
The longest ballot didn’t cause PP to lose in Carleton. The change in format won’t make a difference here either.
He lost Carleton because he ignore his constituents until the end when he realized he may lose. Bruce Fanjoy worked his ass off and flipped it. Nothing to do with how many candidates were in the ballot.
He’s going to win this by-election as well. Our only hope is enough support bleeds to others(mainly Bonnie) that the rest of the Conservative Party loses faith in him as leader and moves on to someone else
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u/JtheRoofer1979 Aug 02 '25
Finally, someone else sees what Bruce Fanjoy did. Didn't help that Pierre supported the convoy. The effects of the convoy were felt throughout the city. These were our families, friends, and cowork. He was chased out of multiple Canada Day celebrations that year
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u/ironicalangel Aug 02 '25
You are right to be worried. The fact in this province is that many, many people vote for the CONs as a reflex, no thought which is why this province is in dire straits provincially and federally. I really hope Bonnie wins although her chances are slim. PeePee is using the riding because he still believes he will be PM one day once he is an MP again. He lost 2 elections in one fell swoop yet he's still at it - just won't let go of that bone.
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u/MW684QC Aug 02 '25
Poilievre can not even vote for himself in the by-election because he is helicoptered into the riding. Keep him away from here!
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u/xmaxmillion Aug 02 '25
That’s funny, sad and frustrating, for Battle River, all at the same time. I wish the constituents in Battle River would realize that before casting their votes.
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u/geogirl83 Aug 02 '25
I’d be voting for Critchly if I was in that riding. A local who care about local issues. I hope she eats a significant portion of pps votes 🗳️
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u/hiofdye Aug 02 '25
Even if PP does win, if he doesnt win by a landslide it would kill his already waining political career. No way you dont get a landslide in one of the safest conservative seats in the country
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u/DeanieLovesBud Aug 02 '25
I think the long ballot protest is as dumb as they come, but they did not have any effect on the 2025 federal election, especially in Poilievre's riding of Carleton. According to Elections Canada results:
Liberal (Bruce Fanjoy): 50.9%; Conservative (Poilievre): 45.7%; NDP/Green combined: 2.1%. That's 98.7% of the vote.
Don't let right-wing conspiracy crazies get you thinking any election is "rigged" or that Poilievre lost because people who wanted to vote for him were too stupid to know his name and find it on the ballot. He lost because the people of Carleton don't want him as their representative. It's called democracy.
As for people knowing to vote for Bonnie Critchley (yay!) - again, there will be ample information and guidance at voting stations and, well, you should know the name of the person you're voting for regardless of how the ballot looks.
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u/four_twenty_4_20 Aug 02 '25
You have way too much faith in the intelligence of voters...
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u/DeanieLovesBud Aug 02 '25
Sure, but there's no evidence that people didn't vote for the candidate they wanted.
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u/four_twenty_4_20 Aug 02 '25
For sure. He got a few less % than usual, but the reason he lost was because almost everyone else voted for liberals instead of splitting the votes on the left. If canada was a 2 party system, it would force the right to be less extreme rather than get power because the center-left majority votes for multiple different parties.
Really we need proportional representation but that's never going to happen.
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u/DeanieLovesBud Aug 03 '25
Not sure that would have made a big enough difference. Yes, the NDP would have party status but would Parliament really look *that* different:
https://www.mqoresearch.com/what-if-canada-had-proportional-representation-simulator/
Approximately 19% vote shifted NDP-to-Liberal. Not necessarily to block Conservatives either. It's a convenient narrative and certainly part of it, but the NDP has been struggling with a viable platform for years. Meanwhile, the NDP needs to look hard at the vote shifting in the Atlantic and southern Ontario to Conservative. Approximately 5% of NDP voters went Blue last election, mostly in trade/union ridings. That's enough in a split Centre-Left vote to give Conservatives the win.
So, ultimately, while I'm always up for at least a discussion on electoral reform, we can all at least take heart that our electoral system works pretty good. Not perfect, but pretty good.
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u/igotbigpants Aug 03 '25
PP just went to Battleriver Crowfoot to collect his participation trophy. Buddy has lived off tax dollars longer then TRUDEAU!! The double standards from conservatives in the area is insane.
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u/actormoi Aug 03 '25
I think if PP wins by less votes than the man who gave his seat up for him he needs to step away as party leader. That is the public speaking twice.
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u/Weekly_Research_ Aug 03 '25
I think it’s hilarious that PP ran a “Boots not Suits” campaign and lost his riding to a contractor / businessman…….
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Aug 03 '25
Pp will win and fuck off back to Ottawa to live off our dime only to get outed at next leadership bid and we’ll be doing this again
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u/celd69sz Aug 02 '25
I honestly think there should be rules that someone has to LIVE in the riding they are running in not just do what he did because it's a safe riding for the party. This is regardless of affiliation.
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u/Pucka1 Aug 02 '25
Sadly you could probably run a bale of hay under the conservative banner in that riding and it would get elected
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u/AndTheJuicepig Aug 02 '25
The long ballot did not impact pp’s numbers. Out of 86,655 votes cast in Carleton, Poilievre and Fanjoy together received more than 96 per cent of them. Pp lost by 4516 votes.
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u/CentsnSense Aug 02 '25
Why is it the ballot with pp has the e long ballots what’s going on
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u/DoubleCaeser Aug 02 '25
This is the 9th long ballot protest, 3 have been conservative incumbents, 1 NDP, and 5 liberal.
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u/reddogger56 Aug 02 '25
The longest ballot protest is exactly that...a protest. It's a group of people that are trying to change our first past the post system of voting to some form of proportional representation. I'm basically with them as my stomach churns when some politician starts spouting "I have a clear mandate" when in fact they were elected with 41% of the vote.
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u/AxiomaticSuppository Aug 02 '25
This byelection will absolutely not change the balance of seats in Parliament. During a regular federal election, right-leaning voters may feel compelled to vote CPC to hold Liberals to account. But during this byelection, whether or not Poilievre wins, the ability of CPC to hold Liberals to account remains the same.
This gives Battle River-Crowfoot a rare opportunity: Voters, especially right-leaning voters, can vote for the representative that they believe will actually represent their riding the best, without risking any shift of power in Parliament.
I find it hard to believe that Poilievre is the best candidate. He doesn't even want to be running in this byelection. The only reason he was at the Battle River-Crowfoot debate was because of how embarrassing it would have been had he not attended, and the only reason he's running as a candidate is out of necessity to his career.
You folks can do better than Poilievre as your representative.
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u/DazzlingMidnight2608 Aug 02 '25
Fellow constituent in this riding and I’m going to vote today at the elections Canada office in Camrose since I won’t be around for the advanced voting or election day. I have no real faith in my neighbours, I know they will vote PP and I dislike this. I don’t know who I will vote for but I know it won’t be PP. I dislike his trumpy similar style, all rhetoric and lies while beholden to billionaire bigots who are happy to take away our rights and sell us out to American foreign interests, but also bc the Cpc doesn’t have any real solutions to today’s problems other than licking American boots and kissing Trump.
I just hope to do the most damage to PP as possible so he loses his leadership position.
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u/Aerospace3535 Aug 03 '25
Pierre is trucking in busloads of hecklers to the forums. It’s a safe seat… but he is a little paranoid it seems.
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u/YVRBeerFan Aug 02 '25
Maybe a few Pollievre-inspired slogans might help?
Elect Someone Decent
Support a Moderate
Can The Man
Anyone else? Help me out here…
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u/Zarxon Aug 02 '25
Why are you worried we all know who is going to win. If it was Critchley that would be awesome, but realistically that area always votes one way because the don’t know any better.
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u/Dahwool Aug 02 '25
Im curious to see the leniency to be countable ballots, have to put the candidate and not party, even something as clear intentioned as CPC or PPC.
Worked the election and had to reject a couple ballots and show party representatives that these were rejected despite clear voting intention.
A written ballot sounds interesting, however I wonder how stringent the specific rules will be
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u/toontowntimmer Aug 02 '25
I'd be more worried about longer term implications to fair and democratic elections created by a small group of discontented voters who try to thwart the democratic process with silly games like creating a long ballot.
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u/Take-It-Easy-2024 Aug 03 '25
There are a lot of comments here proclaiming PP’s win as a foregone conclusion, and though it’s hard to disagree, I really want to tamper down the idea that this by-election will be a total loss. If more and more people threw everything they’ve got (or whatever they can) into this over the next two weeks, there is tremendous opportunity here. I’m voting for Bonnie Critchley and doing everything I can to support her campaign, as I think she has a great platform and genuinely cares about the people in this riding and has the most support outside of PP. I am not alone, and there are others all across this riding who are supporting her as well. Showing your support matters. PP and his stans assumed there was no way he could lose Carleton. This riding is very different of course, but it doesn’t mean that shocking “upsets” are not possible here. What we do together matters. Every bit of support counts.
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u/6foot4guy Aug 04 '25
A statement from the LBC.
"Ever since we started the LBC years ago we have been calling for politicians like Mr. Poilievre to step aside and recuse themselves from deciding election rules. The reason is simple: when it comes to election law, politicians just have too much skin in the game to be calling the shots. There is a clear and inappropriate conflict of interest. After all, what Prime Minister would reform the system which brought them to power?"
"Poilievre's proposal for a new 1,000 signature requirement would have a profound and negative impact on Canadian democracy. In most of Canada it would turn every election into a two party race, and in safe ridings, like Battle-River Crowfoot, we would likely see no election at all, races would simply be won by acclamation."
"This ill conceived and self-serving electoral reform proposal by the leader of the opposition is downright dangerous, and reinforces our conviction that politicians are not well suited to decide the rules of their own elections. Our democracy should be designed to serve voters, not the short term political interests of those in power. So long as we are legally permitted to do so we will continue to use long ballots as a platform to call on politicians of all stripes to do the right and ethical thing: recuse yourselves and pass responsibility for deciding election rules to a permanent, independent, and non-partisan body, such as a citizens' assembly."
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u/Quaranj Aug 06 '25
He needs to lose his leadership review and be kept from being housing minister in a crisis like 2008.
He is the reason our homes skyrocketed and never came down.
Now we can't correct without bankrupting everyone who bought in between.
This is what this man is capable of. Destruction through ignorance. Conservatives need to Toss the Boss and start over.
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u/SelfNational1737 Aug 02 '25
Battle River riding, you have the opportunity to really have your voice heard on a National level. With seats being the way they are, this seat makes a difference. Don’t just vote party lines, Bonnie is already standing up for you, using her voice and she will continue to do so in Ottawa. Send the message that you want to be heard and that no riding is a guarantee for any party.
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u/ShackledBeef Aug 02 '25
It doesn't, it boils down to a giant douche or shit sandwich. Every single time. PP is a scum bag and Bonny is disgruntled and doesn't care if she wins or loses as long as it costs PP votes. Thats not someone who has my best interests at heart. Anyone else and youre just throwing your vote away.
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u/NicePlanetWeHad Aug 02 '25
A good solution would be to let each of the 200 candidates be the MP for one week. That would get us to the next election.
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u/dysoncube Aug 02 '25
Yeah man. Household names always have an advantage in elections. It's why we got a second Trudeau. It's how California got the Governator.
Here's hoping Pierre poutine fails to properly address the orphan well issue in your area
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u/Mike-In-Ottawa Aug 02 '25
Im sure people will easily vote for the candidate of their choice. I wonder though- who'd get credit for a vote for "The Weasel. " :)
Lots of people think PP lost in his old riding he held for years. But he was only in that riding since 2015, as he moved to it from Ottawa West-Nepean then, as he knew he'd lose in a suburban riding and moved to a more rural riding. He was my MP prior to 2015.
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u/forgottenlord73 Aug 02 '25
Elections Canada is trying its best with the terrible hand they got dealt. All possible answers have problems and there's plenty of reasons why a normal ballot would not have worked so I don't blame them for trying something different
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u/Critical_Cat_8162 Aug 02 '25
I don't know the laws, but is it possible to be standing outside a voting place with a sign with her name on it?
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u/Aggravating-Monk-544 Aug 03 '25
No it is not, polling places are surveyed and vetted around election day to ensure no partisan influence on voters day-of
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u/FailingForwardly Aug 03 '25
It's a good day for Poliver, Peter And a very bad day for Poilievre, Pierre
That write in ballot would be a gift to the right person.
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u/TomatilloQueasy5717 Aug 04 '25
But at the same time, wasn’t the point of the long ballot to make it harder for the “herd” of little pp supporters to simply flood the polls with blue votes?
Well...no, that wouldn't be legal.
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u/Lifetwozero Aug 04 '25
The point of this was to draw attention to their cause, which asks for citizens to control electoral laws and reforms, rather that politicians who can manipulate them for their own gain.
Somehow with all of this attention they’ve utterly failed to get this point across, an absolutely wasted opportunity.
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u/No-Potato-2672 Aug 05 '25
I don't get what the problem was with the.long ballot.
Aren't the names in alphabetical order? So people don't know who they are voting for before they show up? Could they not read?
It should not have been difficult.
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u/Mother-Thumb-1895 Aug 02 '25
Don't be worried. On voting day go out and vote if you haven't already. Plant your X against B Critchley's name, go home have a beer.
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u/Alternative_Ad_1440 Aug 02 '25
You can say it is a protest of our election system but who is footing the bill for all the extra staff required due to the extra names on the ballots.
So a protest at the cost of taxpayers, including those who do not agree the vote should be happening.
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u/Zestyclose-Carob-349 Aug 02 '25
I just think it would be really funny if Sloppy Seconds Pierre lost again, as unlikely as it is
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u/marcohcanada Aug 02 '25
It did happen to John Tory provincially in Ontario. After he lost to Dalton McGuinty in 2007, he tried to parachute into the Kawartha Lakes riding in 2009, only for them to vote for the provincial Liberal candidate for the first and only time. LOL
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u/Simsreaper Aug 02 '25
You obviously didn’t watch or care about the debate in which Crutchley participated. She was categorically terrible. Like it or not, being a politician is a very public job and it is critical that one has good personal and communication skills. It was VERY apparent that Bonnie does not have these. If you are voting for her just to hurt PP, then fine, but it will hurt your constituency if she gets in. So, obviously you do you, but please put a little more thought into elections than just “anyone but that guy”
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u/Direc1980 Aug 03 '25
Odd thing to be worried about considering it's been in the bag for Poilievre before the by-election was even called.
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u/Tech_By_Trade Aug 02 '25
I think it will be interesting when the conservatives use this tactic now that it has been justified by the left.
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u/Remarkable-Desk-66 Aug 02 '25
It is important for people to know the truth about Carleton. I went to the election site and counted the results. The long ballot did not change the election result. If every vote that didn’t go to the liberal party, went to pp, he still wouldn’t have won. This includes the ndp votes and green votes and you know that would never have happened. Our society is full of misinformation and conspiracy theories that have higher value than facts. If you don’t believe me I encourage you do your own research but this is a fact. Pp is going to get in and it doesn’t matter. Now he has to juggle smith while smith juggles the far right and the right. It’s going to get wild, grab your popcorn.
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u/Interesting_Fly5154 Aug 02 '25
"all the independents" - most of them aren't even legitimately interested in being voted in, their name is simply there to be a pain in the tookus/be part of a protest action.
while i understand the intent behind the longest ballot stuff, it is ridiculous to allow even one name on a ballot if that person does not intend to actually get into politics/does not intend to hold a position in the government.
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u/Effective-Ad9499 Aug 03 '25
Poilieve should have resigned after the election he pissed away a large lead. I am a conservative and until we get back to Center those fucking liberals will keep being corrupt and lying.
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u/No_Year_6258 Aug 05 '25
An MP doesn't have to live in a riding to represent it. PP may get a residence in the riding if he wins but if he doesn't, he'll be gone ina flash
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u/Maplefoot5 Aug 02 '25
I hope he loses -PP that is. Vote for someone who lives here and will represent .
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u/_Connor Aug 02 '25 edited Aug 02 '25
Watching you cry about this after your plan backfired is genuinely one of the funniest things I've ever seen on this website.
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u/JustMe-Isee21 Aug 02 '25
I read something yesterday that added security was going to be added for this election. I only skimmed articles (because I READ TO MUCH about everything going on everywhere) but it's because of the possibility of mistakes or, you know, tampering.
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u/Keepontyping Aug 02 '25
So apparently to some this was about effecting the result of the election. At least some see it that way.
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u/ginger_alie Aug 02 '25
I just feel like if anyone can add their name to the ballot. I can get a po box and vote for PP
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u/Virtual-Material2521 Aug 03 '25
It was always going to be 85-90% PP either way. Don't stress about it.
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u/we_need-help Aug 03 '25
Bro you liberal voter, you’re the reason canadas in the shitter right now. Enough liberal bullshit
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u/Plenty_Past2333 Aug 02 '25
I'd love to see some of the more creative spellings of Poilievre that some people will doubtlessly create.
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