TORONTO — Canada's Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre looked set Tuesday to return to parliament, four months after losing his seat in a humiliating general election defeat.

 

Poilievre had been on track to become prime minister in April's elections until US President Donald Trump's return to power upended Canadian politics with talk of annexing his northern neighbor.

 

Poilievre's Conservatives blew a massive polling lead as voters backed the new Liberal leader, Mark Carney, now prime minister, to confront Trump.

 

In an added blow, Poilievre lost to a Liberal in his own constituency, an Ottawa-area district he had represented for two decades.

 

He vowed to stay on as the Conservative party head, but needed a seat in parliament before he could return as leader of the opposition.

 

The MP for Battle River-Crowfoot , a rural district in the western province of Alberta where Conservatives dominate , offered to step down so Poilievre could run for his seat.

 

National media projected a handsome victory for Poilievre , the favorite, soon after polls closed Monday in the district, seen as one of Canada's most right-wing.

 

With 265 of 286 polls reporting, he led with 80 percent of the vote, far ahead of his two main rivals, public broadcaster CBC reported.

 

In his victory speech, Poilievre vowed to oppose the policies of Carney's government, which he said had sent crime, immigration and inflation "spiralling out of control."

 

"I am grateful that I will have the chance to be [your] humble servant, to fight every day and in every way for the people in this region," he said in a video of the address posted on X.

 

"We'll put Canada first," he said to cheers and applause in front of a giant national flag.

 

Elections Canada was forced to use a special ballot after a protest group seeking electoral reform successfully nominated a dizzying 214 candidates for the vote.

 

Voters had to write the name of their preferred candidate on their ballot, not tick a box, to help people find the correct name in the enormous list.

 

Experts say Poilievre, 46, may struggle to rebuild momentum in a political arena heavily shaped by Trump.

 

Some voters still view Poilievre as a Trump-aligned figure, a major liability in Canada, where attitudes towards Washington are at historic lows since the US president's return to power.