Canada’s Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre looked set to make a triumphant return to parliament on Tuesday, four months after losing his seat in a major setback at the general election.
The MP for Battle River-Crowfoot—a rural district in the western province of Alberta where Conservatives dominate—offered to step down so Poilievre could run for his seat.
National media projected a resounding victory for Poilievre soon after polls closed Monday, in what was widely seen as a test of his popularity with the grassroots.
With 265 of 286 polls reporting, he led with 80 percent of the vote, far ahead of his two main rivals, public broadcaster CBC reported.
In his victory speech, Poilievre vowed to oppose the policies of Carney’s government, which he said had sent crime, immigration, and inflation “spiralling out of control.”
“I am grateful that I will have the chance to be (your) humble servant, to fight every day and in every way for the people in this region,” he said in a video of the address posted on X.
“We’ll put Canada first,” he said to cheers and applause in front of a giant national flag.
The by-election drew attention after a protest group seeking electoral reform flooded the ballot with 214 candidates, forcing Elections Canada to require voters to physically write Poilievre’s name. Despite the stunt, the Conservative leader’s victory was decisive.
