Pierre Poilievre and his campaign team probably thought they’d be able to take the summer off while they awaited his coronation in the rural Alberta riding of Battle River-Crowfoot. In fairness, they were probably correct — right up until a pissed off Albertan who is actually from the riding spoke out.
While I wasn’t going to pay it too much attention personally, that became entirely impossible because of a no-nonsense rural Albertan named Bonnie Critchley.
As a writer, we love a good underdog story any time, but add in my penchant for dark humour and it’s been incredibly amusing to discover that in the BRC by-election, the only “Ottawa elite” within the 53,000 square kilometre riding is Pierre Poilievre himself.
Bonnie describes herself as a centrist but she is also a shining example of the common-sense conservatism I used to know before I had to learn about whatever the UCP and CPC are made up of today. Bonnie Critchley is the reason I have yet to give up on conservatives — because I know conservatives who are just like Bonnie. They know when they’re being taken advantage of and they not only aren’t afraid to say it, they’re damned well going to. They don’t think about your politics, they care about their communities and the people within them. They aren’t social media “influencers,” they’re just people trying to live their lives and leave the place better than they found it.
Bonnie Critchley isn’t running to be Prime Minister or to “verb the noun” — Bonnie got involved because she has this weird idea that her home riding of BRC deserves better than being a safe landing spot for a politician who was fired from his own riding for not being around for them either.
Incredibly, Pierre Poilievre blamed the voters in his riding, saying there were too many federal employees in his riding that didn’t like being told he’d ensure they didn’t have jobs if his party formed government. Which sounds a lot like he forgot what he was elected to do, which is represent his constituents, not his own ambitions.
Bonnie is not a politician and it shows. I spend a lot of time dissecting UCP and CPC communications strategies and I have marveled at them unabashedly in the past, but every once in a while we get the rare opportunity to listen to someone who isn’t in the race for personal gain and their sincerity is so genuine that our jaded hearts are filled with something far more welcome: hope.
We are being inundated with stupidity and lies to an extent that hasn’t been seen in almost a century. We have political leaders pitting us against our neighbours near and far, family, and friends because it benefits them. As Bonnie said in an interview on the Breakdown, “stepping back wasn’t working, so I decided to step up.”
I could hold her to the standard of polished communications strategy but it would be a disservice to the fact that she’s not running to be a politician — she’s running to represent her riding; and gracious, is it refreshing.
When Bonnie Critchley scoffs at Pierre Poilievre doing cowboy cosplay, it’s not because of his politics, or because of partisanship, it’s because Pierre is a fraud and that’s actually offensive to people who elected — by all accounts — someone they liked.
I’ve certainly been guilty of saying that rural Alberta would vote for an empty beer can so long as it had a blue sign. In almost every other circumstance, I am also right — except this one.
Why? Because the usual “us vs them” rhetoric doesn’t work against Bonnie Critchley. Bonnie is a plain-speaking rural Albertan who isn’t in the market for imported horse shit because we know exactly where to buy it here.
She is “us” and Pierre is… definitely not.
All hat and no cattle in BRC?
Let me preface this again by saying that in every other circumstance, a blue sign is more than enough to get elected in rural Alberta. Conservatives are “trusted” because rural Alberta is conservative. Until they let you down, that is.
Maybe we got to see more of this because no one else ever really got the attention that Bonnie Critchley is getting; running in a slower news cycle summer by-election against the popularity-challenged potentially soon-to-be former-leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. Or maybe it’s because no conservative leader ever lost their seat after two decades in Ontario and came running to Alberta expecting them to pay for his ride back into the House of Commons.
All of that may be true, but Bonnie Critchley is not your average political candidate. It’s probably more accurate to call her the anti-politics candidate because the only reason she put her name on a ballot is that Pierre Poilievre and Damien Kurek made the decision to play politics with her riding.
When politicians like Pierre Poilievre say “common sense” it always comes off as a gimmick to me; a buzzword that evokes whatever the listener wants it to. I’ve heard it from many conservatives before and I roll my eyes because their actions are too often not in line with their words. When Bonnie Critchley says it, however, I know exactly what she means.
I grew up with a plethora of examples of “common sense” because I, and my mother, were raised by the type of conservative who believes in it and expects others to adhere to it. Pierre Poilievre, and far too many of his ilk, use it as a catch-all; “whatever you agree with is ‘common sense’.” However, it actually has meaning beyond that — at least here — surrounded by fields and feed lots — and we all know it.
Legitimately no one doubts Bonnie’s sincerity and they don’t have to because Bonnie says what many in BRC are thinking: Pierre Poilievre chose their riding because of what they could do for him — not because he could do anything for them.
While that could be true for many politicians, it’s never been more obvious than a soon-to-be former-leader who has absolutely no ties to BRC. What would normally be the safest possible riding no longer is because Bonnie Critchley doesn’t have an authenticity problem, and she isn’t “a liberal” or “a socialist” who can easily be dismissed.
While some partisans might be entirely supportive of sending Pierre back to Ottawa, Bonnie reminds everyone of what they’ll get in return: at best, they get nothing and at worst, they could be having another by-election in seven months.
While I’m sure the Calgary-turned-Ottawa native would have some pretty words of thanks, there’s nothing more a leader of the opposition can offer the people of BRC than the person they already elected. He can’t “axe the tax”, “build the homes”, or “stop the crime”. The election is over, Pierre Poilievre’s dream of ever being Prime Minister is gone (realistically — whether he admits it or not), and now BRC is forced into a summer by-election because the party leader lost a seat he’d held for six straight elections.
Again, not something that anyone would have given a thought about if not for Bonnie Critchley loudly proclaiming she’s not having it in precisely the language that every rural Albertan understands.
“Miracle on the prairies” is generally reserved for sarcasm in my world
I don’t expect a miracle. I do expect Pierre Poilievre to most likely win, even handily, but there’s evidence that the punches Bonnie Critchley has landed are leaving a mark.
Usually, when conservatives are displeased with the conservative option, they simply stay home. There is no doubt in my mind that more than a few were pissed off that Damien Kurek stepped down. The average voter doesn’t care overmuch about the politics of politics but forcing them back to the polls after they just had an election — especially one where they were pleased with their choice — is an imposition, not simply an inconvenience, and I think Pierre Poilievre’s campaign has picked up on it.
Those photo ops Pierre Poilievre is sharing with smiling BRC constituents? I’m fairly confident most, if not all, are already members, or supporters, of the political party itself. What I saw very few of, considering the summer event circuit, is photos of spontaneous interactions initiated by others.
Then you have this incredulous decision: Pierre Poilievre riding in a parade with the former MP’s sign??
He’s almost daring voters to write-in Kurek’s name and I have a good feeling some may take that offer; but there’s more.
Alberta Finance Minister Nate Horner “hosted” Pierre at a townhall. Alberta Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen hosted Pierre at a townhall. His former colleague Garnett Genuis bussed in some CPC supporters from Edmonton for the first BRC debate in Camrose, and Damien Kurek is often in tow as well, as if trying to lend some credibility to the transition.
The thing is… the leader of the CPC should not need all this extra support in rural Alberta.
What really stood out to me, though, was loyal friend to the CPC and UCP Monte Solberg’s recent panel discussion on CBC’s West of Centre, where he lowered expectations for Pierre Poilievre’s by-election results down to “almost impossible to judge”.
The longest ballot committee has confused everything… and now we’ve got write-in ballots which really make it almost impossible to sort of judge how he’s done, and it’s almost impossible to judge because it’s a by-election anyway, so it really makes it difficult.
Monte Solberg, West of Centre, 29:00
Except that’s not true. By-elections, even ones with low voter turnout, typically resemble general election results, at least in terms of percentages. Damien Kurek received 82 per cent of the votes. The leader of the same party should easily manage to hit 82 per cent of those who show up to vote.
In Sturgeon River-Parkland, the 2017 by-election saw 77 per cent support for the CPC candidate with 24 per cent voter turnout. In 2015 the CPC received 70 per cent of the vote with 71 per cent turnout. In 2019, they saw 77 per cent support with 73 per cent turnout.
A 2016 by-election in Medicine Hat-Taber-Warner saw the CPC earn 70 per cent of the vote with 44 per cent turnout. In 2015, the CPC candidate saw 68 per cent support with 65 per cent turnout and 79 per cent in 2019 with 67 per cent turnout.
If Pierre Poilievre does not at least earn something close to the support Damien Kurek had, it’ll just be added to the list of why he should go. Yes, the CPC did better. They also did better under Andrew Scheer, and Erin O’Toole. Like Pierre Poilievre though, they didn’t win either.
Poilievre has low likeability numbers nationally, and if he is sent back to Ottawa with decreased support — in rural Alberta of all places — there’s no way he makes it to another election. Even if he passes his impending leadership review, he still has the caucus to worry about. Bonnie Critchley might have been bang on that BRC could have yet another by-election thrust on them within a year.
As Lisa Young pointed out directly after Mr. Solberg’s comment, Bonnie Critchley is Pierre Poilievre’s worst nightmare. Not because Pierre might not win but because Bonnie is laying bare the political game being played out in this by-election and pointing out in no uncertain terms that their time, and their votes, were disrespected.
If you want to run for an area, you need to live here. It is important to me that we have a voice in parliament. I firmly believe that Monsieur Poilievre is too busy with his own personal ambitions to give a rat’s backside about us.
Bonnie Critchley, Camrose Debate, July 2025
From any other candidate, it could have been easily dismissed as a partisan talking point but this is their neighbour talking. She may not have the political savvy, or conservative influencers shuffling their members around to shake hands with her, or the hundreds of thousands of dollars Pierre Poilievre does, but Bonnie Critchley is running for election in Battle River-Crowfoot for the right reasons — and that’s something no one can say about the guy from Ottawa.
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I believe Pollievre is about to be given his walking papers.
It’s insulting to this riding that the elected member and the party leader think so little of them that they become a vehicle for, dare I say it, a wannabe Laurentian elite to get back into parliament.
As an aside the Conservative Party should have to pick up the tab for this unnecessary election.
GO BONNIE!!!
On Reddit, people in the riding have reported getting polling calls, which is fascinating. Normally no one would bother paying for polling for this byelection. If it’s a media outlet, I’ll be interested to see whatever numbers they report. If it’s internal polling by PP’s campaign that would be even more interesting
On an unrelated note, I’d love to see a breakdown of all the different ways “Pierre Poilievre” gets spelled on the write in ballots