Branden Leslie nominated as Conservative candidate ahead of Portage-Lisgar byelection

Branden Leslie has been nominated as the Conservative Party of Canada candidate for a federal byelection in southern Manitoba's Portage-Lisgar riding, beating out longtime provincial politician Cameron Friesen.

Leslie, who previously served as campaign manager for previous Portage-Lisgar MP Candace Bergen, was nominated by party members on Saturday after three rounds of voting.

Leslie defeated his closest competitor, Friesen, a longtime Manitoba MLA for Winkler-Morden, the party confirmed to CBC News.

He thanked members of the riding in a Facebook post on Saturday, as well as the other candidates and volunteers.

"I am excited to be your Conservative candidate for the upcoming byelection," he wrote in the post.

Bergen tweeted her congratulations to Leslie on Sunday, saying she believes he will represent the party and the riding well.

In Leslie's campaign against Friesen, he pointed out the MLA had served as health minister from 2018 to 2021, which included the initial lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Friesen said his campaign centred around his experience in politics and deep roots in the riding.

"We ran a campaign about ideas and looking forward instead of back, a campaign about moving beyond the divisions that linger in our communities, not emphasizing them to win votes," he told CBC News in an emailed statement on Sunday.

The 11-year MLA didn't say what his next steps are but that he's looking forward to the next chapter.

Bergen, who had represented Portage-Lisgar since 2008, announced her resignation from politics at the beginning of February and formally left office on Feb. 28, ushering in the byelection process.

In the absence of a general federal election, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau must announce a byelection in Portage-Lisgar by Aug. 27, and it must be held by Oct. 17 at the latest.

Portage-Lisgar is one of the most reliably Conservative seats in Canada. The Conservative Party and its forerunners have won every election in the riding since it was created in 1997.

CBC News requested a comment from Leslie and the Conservative Party of Canada.

In addition to Friesen and Leslie, two others ran for the nomination: former Elmwood-Transcona Conservative MP Lawrence Toet and former Bergen volunteer Don Cruikshank.