3 federal party leaders visit Manitoba on same day to campaign in byelections

The leaders of three federal parties visited Manitoba on Friday to bolster campaigns in byelections in two vacant ridings.

Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre visited Winnipeg and Winkler to campaign for candidates in Winnipeg South Centre and Portage-Lisgar, where byelections will be held on June 19.

In Winnipeg, Poilievre spoke to reporters in the morning at the Victoria Inn near the city's airport, where he blamed runaway inflation and high crime on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government.

In the afternoon, Poilievre went door-knocking in Winnipeg's Linden Woods neighbourhood, which lies within Winnipeg South Centre, in support of Conservative candidate Damir Stipanovic, an air-traffic controller born in the Balkans.

"You really represent the Canadian dream. You came as an immigrant from a family that wanted to live out freedom in this wonderful country of ours," Poilievre told Stipanovic on the grounds of Linden Woods Community Centre.

The Conservatives have only won Winnipeg South Centre once since the seat was created via boundary redistribution in 1988. Liberal candidates have won every other election in the riding.

Poilievre told reporters Stipanovic still has a shot.

"Even in Liberal strongholds like this one, people are frustrated with and disappointed with Justin Trudeau," he said.

One day earlier, Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman, a Toronto-area MP, also visited Winnipeg South Centre.

The same day, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland spoke in Winnipeg to support Ben Carr, the Liberal candidate in the riding, just one week after a visit by the prime minister himself.

"I'm not surprised the leaders of all the major parties have made their way to Winnipeg in an attempt to support their candidates," said Carr, an educator who's vying to fill the seat held by his late father Jim, who died in December.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh also visited Winnipeg on Friday to support Julia Riddell, his party's candidate in Winnipeg South Centre.

"She's a psychologist. Someone who has a lot to offer. She's working really hard and I really want to make the case to Manitobans that New Democrats deliver," said Singh, referring to his party's influence over policy decisions made by the minority Liberal government.

Green candidate Doug Hemmerling, People's Party candidate Tylor Baer and dozens of independent candidates who signed up as part of a Rhinoceros Party effort to lengthen the ballot are also running in Winnipeg South Centre.