Callander man running in Alberta byelection
Dillon Anderson lives roughly 2,600 km away from the federal riding of Battle River-Crowfoot, but his name is on the by-election ballot.
The Callander, Ontario resident has parachuted into the Alberta riding, as part of the Longest Ballot Committee.
Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada is also running there after losing his seat in Carleton, just outside Ottawa, in April’s general election.
“I don’t think anybody in Ontario should be able to run in an Alberta riding,” says Anderson.
He adds he’s looking for electoral reform while highlighting the flaws in the current system.
“It’s not a ballot against Pierre Poilievre,” says Anderson. “He likes to think it is. His comments [Tuesday] in an Alberta riding were ‘we have to stop this, that there should be a thousand elector requirement’. It’s not against Pierre. It’s about the electoral system in general.”
Right now, the signatures of 100 electors are required to get your name on the ballot.
Anderson says they want to see changes from the current first-past-the-post system to proportional representation.
“You look at the formula now and it means that The Green Party has approximately 10 seats,” he says. “It would be a different political landscape.”
The Green Party won one seat in April’s election.
As of early Wednesday morning, there are 40 confirmed candidates in the Aug. 18 by-election in Battle River-Crowfoot.
Three dozen, including Anderson, are independents.
He says they’re expecting about 100 by the deadline.
Elections Canada’s website says Canadian citizens do not have to live in the electoral district where they are running.
