Poilievre Faces Over 100 Candidates in Longest Ballot Protest, Seeks Electoral Rule Changes

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is facing a significant challenge in the upcoming House of Commons byelection in the Battle River-Crowfoot riding, where the Longest Ballot Committee is fielding over 100 candidates to protest Canada's first-past-the-post electoral system. Poilievre has publicly condemned this tactic as a scam, calling for election law reforms such as increasing the required number of nomination signatures to 1,000 and restricting voters to sign only one nomination paper to prevent ballot-stuffing. The Longest Ballot Committee, which has staged similar protests in other ridings including Poilievre's former Carleton seat, argues that politicians like Poilievre have conflicts of interest and are unlikely to enact meaningful electoral reform, advocating instead for a citizens' assembly to address these issues. Elections Canada has expressed concerns about the complexity and accessibility challenges posed by such lengthy ballots and is exploring ways to simplify voting procedures. While Poilievre seeks legislative changes to stop the protests, the Longest Ballot Committee maintains that these measures do not address the underlying problem of an unfair and outdated electoral system that fails to represent the popular vote accurately. The controversy highlights ongoing tensions in Canadian politics surrounding electoral reform and democratic representation.