Poilievre's byelection win sets the table for his return to Parliament this fall

After a summer of rodeos, dinosaurs and door-knocking, Pierre Poilievre is now officially heading back to Ottawa as a Conservative member of Parliament for Alberta.

The Tory leader will represent the sprawling rural riding of Battle River—Crowfoot, in the province's eastern region, after winning a byelection on Monday.

"Getting to know the people in this region has been the privilege of my life," Poilievre told a crowd at a victory party in Camrose, Alta., on Monday night. "In fact, I've had a hell of a lot of fun."

Poilievre spent weeks this summer meeting constituents, attending events and stopping by local businesses in his new riding.

It was precisely the kind of boots-on-the-ground campaign he ran in 2004 when he became an MP for the first time in the Ontario riding of Carleton.

It's also exactly the kind of local campaign he could not run in Carleton in the spring, when his leader's tour criss-crossed the country for 36 days before holding a final rally in his home riding the night before the April 28 election.

Poilievre lost to Liberal MP Bruce Fanjoy, who had spent more than two years campaigning against him in the Ottawa-area riding.

Poilievre's return to the House of Commons in one of the safest Conservative seats in the country was all but guaranteed, observers said.

Now Poilievre's attention will turn to two things: the fall sitting of Parliament and his upcoming leadership review.

When Parliament resumes on Sept. 15, Poilievre will square off with Prime Minister Mark Carney in the House of Commons for the first time.