Clock starts on timing of byelection Poilievre hopes to use to return to Parliament

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OTTAWA — The Conservatives know more today about when their leader could return to the House of Commons, now that Damien Kurek has been officially declared the member of Parliament for Battle River-Crowfoot.

Kurek, who won the election in the rural Alberta riding with more than 80 per cent of the vote, has promised to step aside to give Pierre Poilievre a chance to run for a seat.

The riding results are considered official once they’re published in the Canada Gazette, which happened on Thursday.

According to federal law, Kurek must sit as a member of Parliament for 30 days before he can tender his resignation.

After that, the Speaker of the House of Commons would have to report the vacancy to the chief electoral officer, at which point the government would have 11 to 180 days to call a byelection.

Byelection campaigns last at least 36 days — so the soonest Poilievre could be elected is in early August.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has said he will not delay Poilievre’s chance to become an MP.

If Kurek’s resignation is reported to the chief electoral officer as soon as possible, and if Carney calls the shortest possible byelection campaign period — 36 days — the vote would fall on the Monday after July 31.

But because Aug. 4 is a holiday, it’s likely the byelection would be pushed to Aug. 5.

Voters in the Ottawa-area riding of Carleton, where Poilievre had been elected seven straight times since 2004, chose a Liberal MP in the April 28 election.

Without a seat in the House of Commons, Poilievre cannot act as the Opposition leader in question period or participate in debate.

The Conservative caucus has chosen former party leader Andrew Scheer to lead the Opposition in the House of Commons on a temporary basis.

The next Parliament is set to begin on May 26 with the election of a new Speaker. King Charles III is set to read the Carney government’s throne speech on May 27.