Conservative Battle River-Crowfoot MP Damien Kurek has resigned, opening the door for Pierre Poilievre to run in a by-election and retake his place as Conservative leader in the House of Commons.Poilievre lost his seat in Carleton to Liberal rival Bruce Fanjoy."It has been a tremendous honour to serve the good people of Battle River-Crowfoot as their Member of Parliament since 2019," Kurek wrote in a statement posted to Twitter/X. "Their support and commitment to the Conservative movement and our mission to bring back hope and prosperity to this country has been unmatched."He went on to describe Poilievre as "a man of principle, character," and "the hardest working MP I have ever met."."His energy, passion, and drive will have a huge benefit in East Central Alberta," Kurek added. "I will continue to work with our incredible local team to do everything I can to remain the strong voice for you as I support Pierre in this process, and then run again here in Battle River-Crowfoot in the next general election. We will build on the momentum we have gained with a strong, united vision that will restore the Canadian promise."Kurek first announced he would be stepping down in May after winning the riding by 46,020 votes. No date has yet been announced for the by-election but on Friday Prime Minister Mark Carney said he would call one as soon as possible.
