Damien Kurek

Damien C. Kurek (born November 28, 1989) is a Canadian lobbyist, farmer and former politician who was the member of Parliament (MP) for Battle River—Crowfoot from 2019 to 2025. A member of the Conservative Party, Kurek resigned from the House of Commons on June 17, 2025, triggering a by-election that was won by party leader Pierre Poilievre. Following his resignation, Kurek became a principal at Toronto-based lobbying company Upstream Strategy Group.

Damien Kurek
Kurek in 2025
Member of Parliament for Battle River—Crowfoot
In office October 21, 2019 – June 17, 2025
Preceded by	Kevin Sorenson
Succeeded by	Pierre Poilievre
Personal details
Born	(1989-11-28) November 28, 1989 (age 35)[1]
Political party	Conservative
Spouse	Danielle ​ (m. 2012)​
Children	3
Residence(s)	Special Areas, Alberta, Canada
Alma mater	Eston College Trinity Western University

Early life and education

Born in 1989, Kurek grew up on a farm outside of Consort, Alberta, the son of Jodi and Jason Felix Kurek.^[2][3][4] When he was fifteen, Kurek went on a trip to Ottawa and put a call into Stephen Harper's office. A ten-minute meeting was arranged with Kurek, Harper, and Kurek's MP at the time, Kevin Sorenson. Kurek is quoted as saying, "For a kid who loved politics, that was the pinnacle of everything you could possibly imagine."^[5] Kurek worked as a farmer and seasonally in the oil and gas sector. Since a young age, he has also been involved in his family farm near Consort, Alberta.

Kurek obtained his high school diploma in 2008 from Consort Public School. After high school, Kurek went to Eston College, where he obtained an associate diploma in Biblical Studies in 2010. Kurek also holds a bachelor's degree in political science and communications from Trinity Western University as of 2015.^[6]

Political career

Political staffer

He also worked for MP Kevin Sorenson and in various roles at the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly.^[7] Before he was nominated as the Conservative candidate himself in Battle River—Crowfoot, Kurek worked for Sorenson's constituency office in Camrose, Alberta.^[8]

Member of Parliament

Kurek was elected to Parliament in the 2019 general election. Kurek has served as the Conservative shadow minister of Canadian heritage.^[9]

On May 2, 2025, Kurek announced he would resign his seat and step down as a MP to trigger the 2025 Battle River—Crowfoot federal by-election, which party leader Pierre Poilievre will contest due to his defeat in Carleton in the 2025 general election. Kurek said he intends to run again in the riding in the next general election.^[10][11] Per the Elections Act, Kurek will be able to resign 30 days after the election result is officially published in the Canada Gazette,^[12] which occurred on May 15, 2025.^[13]

On June 17, 2025, Kurek officially resigned his seat in the House of Commons.^[14][15]

Lobbying career

Following his resignation from Parliament, lobbying firm Upstream Strategy Group announced that Kurek would join the company as a principal, to provide "tailored government relations, public affairs, and stakeholder engagement solutions for Upstream's clients in Alberta and beyond".^[16][17][18]

Personal life

Kurek resides in Alberta's Special Areas. He also continues to work on his family farm.^[19] Kurek married his wife, Danielle, on June 9, 2012, in Saskatoon^[20] and has three sons, Matthew, Emerson and Winston.

Electoral record

v t e 2025 Canadian federal election: Battle River—Crowfoot
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Damien Kurek	53,684	82.84	+11.45
	Liberal	Brent Sutton	7,566	11.67	+7.42
	New Democratic	James MacKay	2,061	3.18	−6.52
	People's	Jonathan Bridges	1,022	1.58	−7.75
	Green	Douglas Gook	474	0.73	−0.18
Total valid votes			64,807	99.40
Total rejected ballots			391	0.60	+0.16
Turnout			65,198	76.49	+4.98
Eligible voters			85,237
	Conservative notional hold		Swing		+2.02
Source: Elections Canada[21]
Note: number of eligible voters does not include voting day registrations.

v t e 2021 Canadian federal election: Battle River—Crowfoot
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Conservative	Damien Kurek	41,819	71.29	-14.20	$82,245.43
	New Democratic	Tonya Ratushniak	5,761	9.82	+4.71	$1,764.29
	People's	Dennis Trepanier	5,440	9.27	+6.68	$1,916.25
	Liberal	Leah Diane McLeod	2,515	4.29	+0.19	$0.00
	Maverick	Jeff Golka	2,393	4.08	–	$28,982.24
	Green	Daniel Brisbin	554	0.94	-1.76	$234.04
	Veterans Coalition	John Irwin	178	0.30	—	none listed
Total valid votes/expense limit			58,660	99.56	–	$135,622.71
Total rejected ballots			260	0.44	-0.12
Turnout			58,920	71.77	-3.66
Eligible voters			82,090
	Conservative hold		Swing		-9.45
Source: Elections Canada[22]

v t e 2019 Canadian federal election: Battle River—Crowfoot
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Conservative	Damien Kurek	53,309	85.49	+4.57	$61,063.42
	New Democratic	Natasha Fryzuk	3,185	5.11	-1.43	$0.00
	Liberal	Dianne Clarke	2,557	4.10	-5.27	none listed
	Green	Geordie Nelson	1,689	2.71	-0.47	$2,467.23
	People's	David A. Michaud	1,620	2.60	-	none listed
Total valid votes/expense limit			62,360	99.44
Total rejected ballots			352	0.56	+0.29
Turnout			62,712	75.43	+3.34
Eligible voters			83,139
	Conservative hold		Swing		+3.00
Source: Elections Canada[23][24]