NDP declares victory in federal Winnipeg byelection, Conservatives concede

The New Democrats declared a federal byelection victory late Monday in their Winnipeg stronghold riding of Elmwood--Transcona.

The New Democrats declared a federal byelection victory late Monday in their Winnipeg stronghold riding of Elmwood--Transcona.

Meanwhile in the byelection race in the Montreal riding of LaSalle--Emard--Verdun the NDP, Liberals and Bloc Quebecois remained locked in an extremely tight three-way race as the results trickled in slowly.

"We don't know the final result here today, but I'm confident," the NDP's Winnipeg candidate, Leila Dance, told supporters in a tearful speech Monday night.

"I promise to make you all so proud of me, and I will see you in Ottawa."

With several polls still to be counted, Conservative candidate Colin Reynolds conceded defeat and told his volunteers that they should be proud of what the Conservatives accomplished in the campaign.

While byelections aren't usually credited with much significance on Parliament Hill, the votes in Winnipeg and Montreal are being treated as bellwethers of the political shifts happening in Canada.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is keen to leapfrog the Liberals and position himself as the only viable, progressive alternative to Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives.