The recent announcement that Battle River–Crowfoot MP Damien Kurek will step aside to allow Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to run in what is considered one of the safest Conservative ridings in Canada is both revealing and disheartening.
Kurek, first elected in 2019, has chosen to walk away not on his own terms or because he’s completed the work he set out to do, but to open the door for political theatre. This move reeks of political calculation rather than public service.
It raises a simple question: is this riding just a pawn on the chessboard of power for the Conservative Party?
We’ve seen this before – the parachuting of party leaders into ridings where they’re guaranteed victory, sidestepping the very voters they claim to represent. Battle River–Crowfoot is not a personal gift to be handed to the leader; it’s a constituency of Canadians who deserve representation that’s earned, not handed down from party headquarters.
If Kurek is so willing to vacate his seat for party convenience, perhaps he should take a page from NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and exit the political stage altogether. At least Singh’s leadership is facing growing questions – Kurek’s loyalty move appears to lack any rationale other than blind allegiance.
Canadians deserve better than backroom deals and riding swaps. We need MPs who will stand up for their constituents, not stand aside for party elites.
Chris Little,
Antigonish County