Liberal's Ben Carr to take father's seat in Winnipeg South Centre

Residents in Winnipeg South Centre will have a familiar name representing them in Ottawa. Liberal candidate Ben Carr has declared his victory in the byelection for the seat left vacant after his father's death.

According to the preliminary results from Elections Canada as of 7 a.m., Carr has 55.5 per cent of the votes – with all of the polls reporting. The results have yet to be finalized by Elections Canada.

Carr will now take over the seat that was held by his father Jim Carr for the past seven years. The elder Carr was first elected a Member of Parliament for the Liberals in 2015. He was re-elected in 2019.

Jim Carr died in December 2022 at the age of 71, after a years-long battle with cancer. Months later, his son announced he would be running in the Winnipeg riding.

READ MORE: Son of late MP Jim Carr to seek Liberal party nomination to run in Winnipeg riding

"To my dad, I miss him every day – his smile, his voice, his energy, and his optimism. I feel the void of his loss profoundly," Carr said while giving a victory speech Monday night.

"Over the last few weeks in particular it has been painful to be without his support and guidance, and to not have had the opportunity to tell him through countless stories I've heard just how much he was loved in this community."

Ben Carr was among 48 candidates listed on the Winnipeg South Centre ballot – the largest number of candidates in Canadian election history.

Carr works as the vice president of a consulting firm called Indigenous Strategy Alliance, and has worked as a high school teacher, coach, and principal, and as a former federal Liberal government staffer.