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.