Alberta farmer and Conservative MP Damien C. Kurek has announced he will resign so unseated party leader Pierre Poilievre can run in his riding in a by-election.
“I know we need Pierre fighting in the House of Commons to hold the Liberal minority government to account,” Kurek said in a statement. “This is what’s best for Canada, and is what’s best for Battle River-Crowfoot.”
Kurek has represented the riding of Battle River-Crowfoot since 2019.
In an upset, Poilievre lost his long-time seat in the Ontario riding of Carleton to Liberal Bruce Fanjoy in Monday’s federal election.
Read Also
NFU says proposed plant breeders’ rights come at farmers’ expense
The National Farmers Union is pushing back against changes to the Plant Breeders’ Rights Act that would narrow the scope of farmers’ right to save seed or propagate crops from cuttings and tubers.
Poilievre, in a post on X, called Kurek’s resignation “selfless,” and said he accepted the offer with “humility and appreciation.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a Friday news conference that he would call a byelection as soon as possible, CBC reported.
Kurek is a fifth-generation farmer, his website says. During his time in parliament, he served on the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage and the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development, among others. He also served as deputy shadow minister for Rural Economic Development and Broadband Strategy.
