Branden Leslie tops Maxime Bernier in Portage-Lisgar byelection
The federal Conservatives' candidate is declaring victory in the byelection in the riding of Portage-Lisgar.
According to the preliminary results from Elections Canada, Conservative candidate Branden Leslie has received nearly 65 per cent of the vote, with 247 of the 248 polls in the riding reporting as of 7 a.m.
The results have yet to be finalized by Elections Canada.
"I can't tell you how good it feels to be here representing my hometown," Leslie said during a victory speech Monday night. "It is an overwhelming feeling of pride and a humbling experience."
Leslie – who described himself as "a regular farm kid from Portage" – is taking over the seat from former MP Candice Bergen, who ended her career in Parliament after being the interim leader of the Conservatives.
Leslie is a familiar face in the riding, as he previously served as Bergen’s campaign manager.
READ MORE: Branden Leslie wins Conservative nomination for Portage-Lisgar
The riding has belonged to the Conservatives since 2003 when former Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister was the MP for the area before he made the jump to provincial politics. Bergen was elected in 2008 and was re-elected in 2011, 2015, 2019 and 2021.
Beyond his work as Bergen’s campaign manager, Leslie has also worked as the manager of policy and government relations with the Grain Growers of Canada.
Leslie said over his campaign his team knocked on more than 30,000 doors across the riding.
"In every town, big or small, we were there pounding the pavement, making sure that we got our common sense conservative message out there," Leslie said. "I'm so pleased to have a mandate from my family, my friends and my neighbours, to be their voice in Ottawa as part of Pierre Poilievre's conservative team."
Among his campaign points, Leslie said he will be pushing to axe the carbon tax, to repeal gun bans in Canada, and seek bail and justice reform. His promise to work to 'fire Justin Trudeau in the next federal election' was met with cheers from his supporters at his campaign office.
He beat four other candidates running in the riding, including People's Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Donald Trump picks former U.S. congressman Pete Hoekstra as ambassador to Canada
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump has nominated former diplomat and U.S. congressman Pete Hoekstra to be the American ambassador to Canada.
Genetic evidence backs up COVID-19 origin theory that pandemic started in seafood market
A group of researchers say they have more evidence to suggest the COVID-19 pandemic started in a Chinese seafood market where it spread from infected animals to humans. The evidence is laid out in a recent study published in Cell, a scientific journal, nearly five years after the first known COVID-19 outbreak.
This is how much money you need to make to buy a house in Canada's largest cities
The average salary needed to buy a home keeps inching down in cities across Canada, according to the latest data.
'My two daughters were sleeping': London Ont. family in shock after their home riddled with gunfire
A London father and son they’re shocked and confused after their home was riddled with bullets while young children were sleeping inside.
Smuggler arrested with 300 tarantulas strapped to his body
Police in Peru have arrested a man caught trying to leave the country with 320 tarantulas, 110 centipedes and nine bullet ants strapped to his body.
Boissonnault out of cabinet to 'focus on clearing the allegations,' Trudeau announces
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced embattled minister Randy Boissonnault is out of cabinet.
Baby dies after being reported missing in midtown Toronto: police
A four-month-old baby is dead after what Toronto police are calling a “suspicious incident” at a Toronto Community Housing building in the city’s midtown area on Wednesday afternoon.
Sask. woman who refused to provide breath sample did not break the law, court finds
A Saskatchewan woman who refused to provide a breath sample after being stopped by police in Regina did not break the law – as the officer's request was deemed not lawful given the circumstances.
Parole board reverses decision and will allow families of Paul Bernardo's victims to attend upcoming parole hearing in person
The families of the victims of Paul Bernardo will be allowed to attend the serial killer’s upcoming parole hearing in person, the Parole Board of Canada (PBC) says.