Premier Selinger surprised by margin of Bowman's mayoral win, but commends his campaign

The two most powerful politicians in Manitoba met Thursday afternoon.

Premier Greg Selinger and Winnipeg mayor-elect Brian Bowman gathered Oct. 23.

Selinger did not downplay Bowman's lopsided victory over NDP mayoral candidate Judy Wasylycia-Leis, saying the new mayor has a strong mandate.

"Any time you can accomplish what Mayor Bowman has accomplished, he should be commended for his efforts," said Selinger.

While surprised by the outcome on election night, Selinger said his government shares many of Bowman's pledges on how to fix crumbling roads.

Bowman campaigned on a promise to pressure the province to hand over Winnipeg's share of the PST increase.

People from Selinger's team worked on the campaign for Wasylycia-Leis. Selinger suggested the province's PST increase did not help her campaign.

"We know it was a very important election - that some people felt jolted by the raising of the PST by one per cent and I take responsibility for that," said Selinger.

- with a report from Jeff Keele