Alberta farmers in this conservative stronghold feel conflicted as Battle River-Crowfoot byelection nears

Harvey Nahirniak walks toward his paddock of cattle, his tall rubber boots caked with rich, black soil.

Cows, dusted with mud, huff in the afternoon heat. His beloved workhorses stand in the sun like statues while the farm's fat, white guardian dog, Marvin, pants in the shade.

Nahirniak's expertise lies in crops and cattle. His family has farmed the same stretch of land in the sleepy hamlet of Round Hill, Alta., for generations.

Election signs, many conservative blue, dot the roadsides of the rolling hills that surround his property in the heart of the Battle River-Crowfoot riding, where a byelection is underway.

While at first reluctant to talk politics, Nahirniak has come to some strong conclusions about the unusual federal race now underway within the vast federal district he calls home.

"I have a feeling we're going to lose some of our representation," the 78-year-old said. "I think we're kind of at the losing end."

Advance polls in the byelection opened Friday with a special ballot to accommodate the record number of candidates competing against Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. Voters head to the polls Aug. 18.

Nahirniak believes Poilievre will sweep the byelection, but he's unsure residents like him will benefit from the change.

"He won't have time to listen to our problems because, being in his position in Ottawa, he just won't have time. We had somebody who was available all the time, and they say that it won't change, but we know it will."

Poilievre's path back to the House of Commons runs through the vast riding and the more than 4,000 farms that operate inside its bounds across eastern, southern and central Alberta.

Conservative MP Damien Kurek, a former farmer, resigned to allow Poilievre to run as one of 214 candidates in what is the largest federal ballot in Canadian history.

Most of the candidates on the ballot are associated with a group of electoral reform advocates known as the Longest Ballot Committee.

Kurek served as MP between 2019 and 2025.

During a campaign stop in Calgary last week, Poilievre said he's enjoying his time in Alberta's vast prairie heartland.

He commended the region's ranchers and industry workers and military members and spoke about the anger many constituents feel toward the treatment Alberta has received from the reigning Liberals in Ottawa.

He said he would fight for a "better deal" for Alberta, with a focus on increased resource production.

"I'm loving the campaign," he said.

"I'm having a lot of fun, actually. I love the people of Battle River-Crowfoot. They're the people who feed, power and protect our country."

Poilievre has been well-received on the campaign trail, at car shows, community events and candidate debates, and has strong support in the Conservative stronghold.

Nahirniak, however, said residents of farming communities like Round Hill no longer feel like a priority to federal conservatives.

The region has always been painted conservative blue, but for some like Nahirniak, their loyalties have begun to shift, he said.

He describes the crowded ballot as a sad mockery of the electoral process and suggests that federal politics "have gone sideways" and becoming too adversarial.

"We grew up being colour-coded," he said. "And if you voted for somebody else, you almost felt like a rebel."

"But it's changing. They're not giving us the same coverage that they used to."

Agriculture is the financial backbone of the hardworking riding — with wheat, canola and cattle industries leading the labour force, along with a burgeoning oil and gas industry.

The economic pressures on the agricultural sector remain top of mind among residents who make their livelihoods from the land.

Producers who spoke with CBC News shared their feelings of disillusionment about the race and their need for increased federal support as Alberta farms face increased financial uncertainty.

Nicola and Alan Irving, owner of Irving's Farm Fresh, moved to the county more than 20 years ago and soon after began their pork operation.

It's a small-scale operation, with 60 to 80 free-range Berkshire pigs roaming the family farm.

The couple, originally from Cumbria in England, process meat from their on-site butcher shop into a range of specialty meat products they sell to suppliers and markets across Alberta.

Even they Nicola Irving, 55, moved to the country decades ago, she still feels a bit like a political outsider.

Irving describes herself as a lifelong conservative but feels conflicted about how the race has taken shape.

She questions whether Poilievre is truly committed to the constituents or if the riding is a "stepping stone."

"My head tells me to do one thing, my heart is telling me to do something different," she said of her pending choice at the ballot box.

"In this riding, there are so many voters out there that are not necessarily looking at the name. They just vote for the blue. They vote conservative, regardless of who it is."

No matter who wins, Irving said she wants her federal representative to "do right" by their constituents and focus on fiscal responsibility and cutting down internal trade barriers.

While tariffs have yet to hit her business hard, she said the uncertainty is unsettling.

A short drive away, Humphrey Banack, 67, stands with his back to the sun, below a row of grain silver silos standing guard over his expansive fields of canola, now turned from yellow to green.

He's preparing to harvest by month's end, a familiar ritual after decades working his third-generation family farm, established in 1906.

The operation, which includes his brother, nephew, and son, stretches across 8,000 acres of land tilled with canola and wheat, along with barley, oats and flax.

He's been tuned into the political chatter during the race and recently attended a candidate's forum to hear the final pitch from 10 candidates.

He said a lack of trade stability is the biggest challenge facing farmers, with tariffs putting producers on edge and making it difficult for them to fetch a fair price for their products.

Banack identifies himself as a conservative and said the region has been well-represented by the party.

He doubts, however, that the election will significantly change things for residents.

For him, Poilievre's win is a foregone conclusion. While the race puts the riding in the spotlight for now, he expects that shine will fade once a result is known.

He said he does not expect that a Poilievre win will put the concerns of riding residents "on a pedestal," despite what some conservative supporters believe.

"Which conservative we have representing us in Battle River-Crowfoot isn't going to matter," Banack said.

"The only person who's going to gain from this is Mr. Poilievre."

Banack said the campaign has brought frustration to the riding, and fanned support for Alberta separation, divisions he's seen play out at the recent candidate debates and at his own family table.

Back on the Nahirniak farm, the divisiveness of the campaign is clear.

Over coffee on their porch, Marjorie Nahirniak, Harvey's wife, said she is glad that the race has forced the needs of local producers and their families in the spotlight.

"This area is nice and green … but not everything is lovely," she said.

"And I hope Poilievre does get in because I don't think a no-name will be effective at all. And then it's our responsibility to keep him in line."

Meanwhile, her son, Kyle Nahirniak, who has now begun to take the reins of the family farm, feels disillusioned about federal politics.

Farming, he said, has become more demanding as market swings and trade volatility make profit margins increasingly thin.

He said Ottawa needs to safeguard economic stability with a greater focus on Canadian self-sufficiency, especially in agricultural production.

He's not confident that Poilievre will be attentive to those challenges, but he doesn't think conservative voters in the region will be swayed.

"This is the easiest path for him to get back into the house, which I understand, but I don't find it a particularly inspiring path," he said.

"Traditionally, I would be a conservative, but I don't see things that way anymore."