For Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, next month's House of Commons election will be déjà vu, as a protest movement once again floods the ballot in his target riding with dozens of candidates.

The Longest Ballot Committee announced weeks ago it would target the Battle River-Crowfoot byelection. As of July 16, 58 candidates tied to the group had officially registered with Elections Canada, well on their way to meeting their goal of 200.

The movement, which opposes the first-past-the-post system and calls for electoral reform, has been subject to considerable debate and whether their antics constitute electoral interference.

Longest Ballot Committee to target Poilievre again in Alberta

More than 90 candidates backed by the Longest Ballot Committee ran in Carleton to help defeat Poilievre on April 28. The group said it will 'do our best to make a long ballot happen [again].'https://t.co/OWh1g7B5tZ

— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) May 6, 2025

In Stettler, Poilievre criticized the protest movement, stating a need to abolish the “long ballot” by increasing candidate signature requirements. 

Tory MP Ned Kuruc earlier sponsored a Commons petition to modify electoral law. It closed July 12 with 31,840 signatures.

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Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault warned in November 2024 that the protest movement could hinder voting for Canadians with language or accessibility barriers, due to smaller font sizes on larger ballots.

Perrault suggested to MPs that the law be changed to prevent an individual from signing candidacy papers for multiple candidates; nomination papers for Largest Ballot participants have “largely identical signatures.”

People want to know who’s behind the “Longest Ballot Committee” - a group running an additional 85 candidates against Conservative Pierre Poilievre in Carleton.

Meet the Szuchewycz’s of the Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada. Our local communists.

Things the news won’t tell you. https://t.co/yoxf3YFmtw pic.twitter.com/lm0G14t9gU

— Andy Lee (@RealAndyLeeShow) April 8, 2025

Tomas Szuchewycz, official agent for Longest Ballot participants in Carleton and this byelection, manages campaign finances and reports to Elections Canada.

Independent candidates tied to Szuchewycz list websites featuring YouTube videos of folk/indie rock by The Famous Sandhogs, with lyrics by the candidates. “I’m as progressive as f*ck,” said Preston Hoff, one of the Battle River-Crowfoot candidates.

Liberals and New Democrats haven't registered candidates as of publication. Nominations close July 28.

The Ballot Committee caused prior voting delays by fielding 77 candidates in the Toronto-St. Paul's June 2024 by-election and ceased mobilization in Minister Chrystia Freeland's Toronto riding.

Poilievre reflects on the Conservative performance in the recent federal election, and says the party will spend the summer listening to Canadians to find more supporters to push the party "over the finish line." pic.twitter.com/2YUtUD7Hee

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) May 6, 2025

Despite 91 names on the ballot, Poilievre lost his long-held Carleton seat to Liberal Bruce Fanjoy by 4,513 votes. Independent and fringe candidates received 817 votes in the redrawn riding.

Meanwhile, Poilievre is expected to win the August 18 byelection and return to Parliament in September after the summer recess.

Tory MP Damien Kurek resigned June 17, six months shy of his pension, to facilitate Poilievre's candidacy.

On May 6, Poilievre acknowledged Carleton's electoral map "changed dramatically" in recent years, but did not address his election loss.

"If you told me that we would get 41% of the vote a couple of years ago, I would have said, 'wow, that's ambitious,'" he said. "But if you told me that we would get 41% of the vote and still not win, I would have said 'you're crazy,' but in fact our electoral map has changed."

The seven-term MP instead blamed the loss on his plan to cut jobs in the public service, a hard proposition in a government town.