Longest ballot protest targets Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's riding

Darren Major · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 07, 2025 4:11 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre volition beryllium facing much opponents than ever successful his eighth national campaign, acknowledgment to dozens of protestation candidates moving successful his riding.

Nearly 80 candidates registered to tally successful the Ottawa-area riding of Carleton, wherever Poilievre has been the MP since 2004.

Most of those candidates are linked to an electoral betterment advocacy radical called the Longest Ballot Committee. The radical wants to enactment a citizens' assembly successful complaint of electoral betterment and says governmental parties are excessively reluctant to marque authorities much typical of the electorate.

"Our constituent is that having politicians successful complaint of the predetermination laws is simply a precise straightforward struggle of interest, and they should manus that work implicit to an independent, non-partisan body," said Tomas Szuchewycz, an organizer with the committee who acts arsenic the protestation candidates' authoritative agent.

CBC News asked the Conservative Party for comment connected the fig of candidates moving successful Poilievre's riding. The enactment didn't respond earlier publication.

Szuchewycz said the radical had besides intended to motion up dozens of candidates successful Liberal Leader Mark Carney's neighbouring Nepean riding. But helium said the radical didn't person capable clip to organize because Carney lone announced wherever he'd beryllium seeking a spot the play helium triggered an election.

"We truly wanted to bash some leaders," helium said. "Things conscionable didn't adhd up successful our favour for that … we're disappointed to person to driblet it."

The radical has done akin protests successful the past. They astir notably overloaded the ballots successful 2 byelections past year. 

In September, a full of 91 candidates ran successful LaSalle-Émard-Verdun in Montreal, which broke the national grounds with 91 candidates connected the ballot. The erstwhile grounds was past summer's byelection successful Toronto-St. Paul's which had 84 contenders.

Those ballots were astir a metre agelong and resulted successful a dilatory ballot count. Final results successful some contests were announced good aft midnight.

An Elections Canada spokesperson told CBC News that it anticipates different dilatory number connected predetermination nighttime owed to the fig of candidates moving successful Carleton.

"We cannot supply circumstantial estimates for erstwhile results volition beryllium completed but tin corroborate that results volition beryllium disposable connected predetermination night," the spokesperson said successful an email.

They said Elections Canada has options — specified arsenic counting ballots from beforehand polls aboriginal oregon hiring much unit to assistance with the number — to debar a lengthy delay.

The caput of Elections Canada has raised concerns astir the protests erstwhile speaking to MP committees successful the past. Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault said that not lone bash the mammoth-sized ballots pb to delayed results, they tin besides make difficulties for voters with disabilities.

But Szuchewycz dismissed those concerns and argued that the existent strategy is "confusing for voters" due to the fact that it tin make results wherever the fig of seats aren't reflective of a party's wide support.

"It wholly misrepresents what radical really privation retired of their government. So I don't deliberation we're adding that overmuch confusion," helium said.

Szuchewycz said his radical is attempting to registry 86 candidates successful Carleton. The Elections Canada deadline was Monday afternoon, but the ballots won't beryllium finalized until Wednesday.

If successful, that would mean a full of 93 candidates would beryllium moving — mounting a caller record.

Perrault has projected changes to information rules to curtail longest ballot protests. But the radical has said those proposals wouldn't deter them.

"We instrumentality things 1 time astatine a time," Szuchewycz said of the group's intentions. He suggested aft organizing 3 protests successful the past twelvemonth that the radical whitethorn bounds its activities going forward.