A member of Canada‘s Parliament announced he would abandon his seat to ensure that Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre can run in a special election and return to the House of Commons.
Conservative MP Damien Kurek indicated on Friday that he would only be “temporarily” abandoning the seat of Battle River-Crowfoot in Alberta, which he handily secured reelection to on Monday with 82% of the vote.
“Although it will be hard to temporarily step away from this role, in this region I love and have always called home, the mandate given to me is one that clearly states that change is needed,” Kurek said.
“Offering this seat to our party leader is an important step in that process,” he added.
Poilievre praised Kurek for the “selfless” move and vowed to “earn the trust of the good people of Battle River-Crowfoot.”
“It is with humility and appreciation that I have accepted Damien Kurek’s offer to resign his seat in Battle River-Crowfoot so that I can work to earn the support of citizens there to serve them in Parliament. Damien’s selfless act to step aside temporarily as a Member of Parliament shows his commitment to change and restoring Canada’s promise. I will work to earn the trust of the good people of Battle River-Crowfoot and I will continue to hold the Liberal minority government to account until the next federal election, when we will bring real change to all Canadians,” the Conservative leader posted on X.
Kurek stepping aside now clears the way for Poilievre to reverse a crushing defeat earlier this week, which saw him lose Ontario’s Carleton district seat in Parliament to Liberal candidate Bruce Fanjoy by over 4%. Poilievre had held the district since 2004.
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Poilievre will now run in a special election that Prime Minister Mark Carney indicated will take place “as soon as possible.”
“I’ve already indicated to Mr. Poilievre that … I will ensure that it happens as soon as possible. No games, nothing,” Carney said on Friday.