OTTAWA — After largely targeting byelections, a contentious election protest is setting its sights on the upcoming federal ballot.
The Longest Ballot Committee, responsible for engorging ballots in previous elections to world-record sizes, announced this week they’ll return for the next federal election, concentrating on two contests: Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s Ottawa riding of Carleton and former finance minister Chrystia Freeland’s University—Rosedale constituency.
“We really wanted to run in the (party leaders’) ridings, but obviously it’s kind of hard to predict where the next leader of the Liberal party will be,” said committee founder Kieran Szuchewycz.
“So we’re settling on University—Rosedale and see what happens with that.”
The Longest Ballot Committee is responsible for creating comically large ballots in previous elections, flouting loose residency requirements and encouraging Canadians across the country to run as Independents.
September’s LaSalle—Emard—Verdun byelection fielded a record-breaking 91 candidates on its gigantic, two-column ballot — 79 of which were affiliated with the committee.
That ballot exceeded records set in last June’s Toronto—St. Paul byelection, which saw 77 candidates, itself breaking the record 48 candidates who ran during 2023’s Winnipeg South Centre, yielding a ballot so large it required amendments to the Canada Elections Act.
The long ballots stand in protest to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s broken promise to usher in electoral reform, including promises to do away with first-past-the-post balloting for federal elections.
Donovan Eckstrom, a frequent Longest Ballot Committee candidate, announced the campaign’s return via a video posted to social media while running on a treadmill.
Speaking to the Toronto Sun from his home in northern Alberta, he said he’s hopeful the new campaign will well exceed the old record of 91 candidates — despite scores of detractors who baselessly accuse the campaign of committing election interference.
“Getting over 50 would be nice and hitting triple digits would be beautiful,” Eckstrom said.
“I know (chief electoral officer) Stephane Perrault is seething, he’s probably grinding his teeth.”
Eckstrom, however, won’t be participating — as it’s a general election, he plans to run in his own riding — but said the committee’s message is clear.
“Of course, the Liberals’ promises back in 2015 that it would be the last (election) with first-past-the-post,” he said.
“It’s a beautiful thing when you see the ballot — this is a beautiful tree that is going to be spread for the Liberals as well as the Conservatives, so now everybody gets a little bit of an opportunity to see it.”
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