Long-ballot group signs up more candidates for byelection featuring Poilievre

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EDMONTON — An advocacy-protest group that broke its own record last week for putting the most candidates on an election ballot is now up to 132 for the federal Battle River–Crowfoot byelection in Alberta.

Elections Canada reported Monday that the 132 candidates sponsored by the Longest Ballot Committee are registered for the byelection, which features federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre running for a seat in Parliament.

The Longest Ballot Committee’s previous record of 91 candidates was broken last week when it reached 100.

The total number of candidates from all parties along with Independents was at 138 as of Monday afternoon. Candidates can continue signing up for another week ahead of the July 28 cutoff.

The Longest Ballot Committee has helped dozens of candidates register in multiple contests in Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba since 2022 to draw attention to its cause. It wants a citizens’ assembly put in charge of crafting a new electoral system, arguing that political parties are reluctant to make the government more representative of a diverse electorate.

But critics say the committee’s efforts are undermining democracy by making voters navigate long, cumbersome and potentially overwhelming lists composed of mainly paper candidates.

Dillon Anderson, one of the 132 candidates signed by the Longest Ballot Committee, said the goal is change.

“We need to work towards reforming Canada,” Anderson said Monday in an interview from his home in Ontario. “Politicians shouldn’t be in charge of their own election rules.”

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He said volunteers with the committee helped him gather signatures in the riding and guaranteed his candidacy, and said the group is gaining momentum. “It’s good. I think it’s Canadians realizing that their democracy needs change.”

Conservative Damien Kurek handily won Battle River–Crowfoot in the April general election but stepped down last month to allow Poilievre to run. Poilievre lost his long-held Ottawa seat of Carleton in the April vote with his former riding also a target of the Longest Ballot Committee.

Poilievre has criticized the long ballot initiative, suggesting it undermines the spirit of the democratic process.

The byelection has become contentious in recent days with Independent candidate Sarah Spanier saying she has stopped door-knocking due to death threats for her views on topics like transgender rights.

Also Monday, Mounties said in a news release that several candidates have received negative and, in some cases, potentially threatening commentary on social media platforms.

Sgt. Jeremy Houle said the threatening messages directed at various candidates did not meet the threshold of criminality but were concerning.