Kurek looks to leave mark on Canada with bill to add a new national symbol

The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jun 17, 2025 9:25 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

Outgoing Conservative MP Damien Kurek is looking to permission his people successful Parliament by pushing for the adoption of a nationalist livestock marque arsenic 1 of Canada's symbols.

Kurek introduced a measure successful the past Parliament to make the caller marque but that measure didn't walk earlier the predetermination was called, meaning it present has to commencement over.

But Kurek whitethorn resign his spot arsenic aboriginal arsenic Tuesday to marque mode for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to tally successful a byelection successful Battle River—Crowfoot and effort re-enter the House of Commons.

So Saskatchewan Conservative MP Steven Bonk reintroduced the measure to found a nationalist livestock marque connected Kurek's behalf past week.

• Poilievre to tally for Alberta spot aft MP Damien Kurek agrees to measurement down

The projected plan is simply a Maple Leaf connected apical of what looks similar a tiny arch, which Kurek described arsenic an inverted 4th ellipse successful "brand lingo."

"In the midst of everything that represents the champion of what Canada is, conspicuously absent successful the inventory of symbols was thing that specifically acknowledges that Western and frontier past that was truthful cardinal successful building, not conscionable Western Canada, but the entirety of our nation," Kurek said successful an interview.

Shortly aft the election, erstwhile Poilievre failed to triumph his ain spot of Carleton successful Ottawa, Kurek agreed that arsenic soon arsenic the rules allowed helium would measurement speech to let Poilievre to tally there.

Carney said he'd call byelection

Under the rules Tuesday is the archetypal time Kurek tin bash that.

Prime Minister Mark Carney antecedently said helium would telephone a byelection for the riding arsenic soon arsenic helium is able.

In its caller iteration, the authorities includes a notation to the caller nationalist awesome being capable to "promote nationalist unity."

That comes a separatist sentiment is connected the emergence successful Alberta, and that state heads toward a imaginable referendum connected the contented adjacent year.

"At a clip erstwhile I perceive often that radical consciousness similar our nationalist unity is successful information astatine risk, to beryllium capable to showcase successful a applicable mode done symbolism, to say, 'look, Western Canada, it matters,"' Kurek said. "And past the cardinal portion of that is it can't simply enactment astatine symbolism."

Kurek said that includes making definite Alberta has the quality to get its resources, similar oil, to market.

Bill being reviewed

Alisson Levesque, Culture Minister Steven Guilbeault's communications director, said successful an emailed connection that the measure is being reviewed and "we volition person much to accidental erstwhile it reaches 2nd speechmaking successful the House."

If the measure is passed, the livestock marque would articulation the database of nationalist symbols similar the flag, overgarment of arms, beaver, hockey, the maple histrion and adjacent the nationalist horse.

Like the overgarment of arms, Kurek said the livestock marque is likewise utilized successful cultivation families arsenic a "heraldic symbol."

Kurek said his household nary longer farms cattle, but his great-grandfather registered a J K 4th ellipse marque that's continued to beryllium passed down done his family.

Kurek's father, Jay Kurek, died astatine the property of 54 past year.

As Kurek prepares to commercialized his spot successful Parliament for the cab of a tractor, helium said that his family's marque is awesome that connects him to his household history, a communal presumption successful workplace families.

"It speaks to thing bigger than oneself and that's wherefore adjacent though I won't beryllium the 1 that has the accidental to shepherd this, hopefully, done Parliament — it's the information that it means thing to, I hope, truthful galore Canadians is wherefore I'm excited that speech tin successful information support moving forward," Kurek said.