Selkirk-Interlake-Eastman re-elects Conservative James Bezan

CBC's has declaredConservativeJamesBezanre-elected in the Manitoba riding ofSelkirk-Interlake-Eastman.

With all273 polls counted, Bezanhad 51.9per cent of the vote. Liberal JoanneLevy was second with 31per cent.

"It's mixed feelings definitely bittersweet," Bezan said."It's always nice to win here. I was not expecting to see our party [do] as poorly nationally."

The Liberal majority was a huge surprise, hesaid.

"I knew we were going to be in for a tough night and was expecting a Liberal minority government, not a majority like we've witnessed today," he said."At the end of it, it comes down to the NDP support completely collapsing and that vote going to the Liberals."

In the 2011election, Bezanwas elected with 65 per cent of the vote;SeanPalssonof the NDP came in second with nearly27 per cent of the vote. In that election, 62 per cent of voters in what was then theSelkirk-Interlake riding turned out to vote.

The riding's boundaries have since beenadjustedto include Eastman, and it lost territory to Churchill-Keewatinook Aski, Provencherand Portage-Lisgar.

While serving in Parliament, Bezan was appointed parliamentary secretary to the minister of national defence. The following year he was sanctioned by Russia after he criticised that country's invasion of Crimea, part of Ukraine.Bezanwas first elected to the House of Commons as a Conservative member of Parliament in 2004. Heand his family live on a cattle farm nearTeulon, Man.

Selkirk-Interlake-Eastman includes much of Winnipeg's northernmost suburbs, including St. Andrews and Stonewall, as well as the city of Selkirk. About 17 per cent of residents are aboriginal. Slightly more thanfive per cent of residents are immigrants.

There are five candidates runningin the riding:

• Bezan, Conservative Party of Canada;
• DeborahChief, New Democratic Party;
• Donald L. Grant,Libertarian Party of Canada;
• Wayne James, Green Party of Canada; and
• JoanneLevy,Liberal Party of Canada.