Poilievre, federal Conservatives rally support from voters ahead of Elmwood-Transcona byelection

The federal Conservatives were in Winnipeg on Sunday rallying supporters for an upcoming byelection.

Party Leader Pierre Poilievre threw his support behind electrician Colin Reynolds, while preaching the party's platform and promising to axe the carbon tax, which has become one of his main political messages.

«He understands that protecting our environment is about technology not taxes and that's why job number one for Colin Reynolds and the common sense Conservatives will be to axe the tax,» Poilievre said at the Canad Inns on Regent Avenue.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called a byelection for Sept. 16 to fill the seat in the city's Elmwood-Transcona riding that was vacated when longtime NDP MP Daniel Blaikie resigned earlier this year.

Blaikie has since taken on the role of advising Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew's government.

Poilievre called the upcoming race a «mini carbon tax referendum» and a «carbon tax byelection» in the working-class Winnipeg riding.

The carbon tax, also known as the price on carbon, came into effect at $20 per tonne in 2019. It's climbed in the years since and rose from $65 per tonne to $80 in April.

The tax is meant to be a financial incentive for people and businesses to change their habits to burn less fossil fuel.

Elmwood-Transcona has long NDP history

The Elmwood-Transcona riding has long belonged to the NDP and the Blaikie family. Daniel Blaikie held the seat for nearly a decade and his late father Bill was the MP for almost 30 years before that.

The party is running Leila Dance, executive director of the Transcona BIZ, as its candidate.

In a statement Sunday, Dance said people in the riding work hard and look for someone to represent them who will work just as hard to protect their wallets from