Manitoba Liberal leader Bokhari 'couldn't be happier' with Trudeau victory

A Liberal victory on the national stagelead byJustin Trudeauhas made Manitoba's Liberal leader Rana Bokhari very pleased.

"We couldn't be happier to be honest with you," said Bokhari, "It's a proud time to be a Liberal across the country."

The federal Liberals cleanedup on Monday with 184 seats across the country, including seven in Manitoba.

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"Manitoba made some massive gains yesterday, more than we were expecting publicly but on the ground we were definitely feeling the momentum," said Bokhari. She said provincialLiberals helped their federal counterparts campaign here.

When asked how shemight capitalizeon the surge in Liberal support on the federal stage, Bokharisaid while the momentum is positive it doesn't replace"hard work" on the ground.

"We have to put in candidates that reflect the local communities. We need to be out there to make sure they're knocking on those doors," she said.

Getting ready for the next election

The Manitoba Liberals have so far secured "about 15" nominations for the next provincial election, with othersstill in the vetting process, said Bokhari. There are 57 provincial ridings in Manitoba.

In the last provincial election, only one Liberal was elected to Manitoba's legislature - former leader Jon Gerrard in River Heights.

That third-place status doesn't deter the current leader.

"There's no doubt that the feds came from third party to a majority government and I think that's a really important point to recognize," said Bokhari

"We're going to get policies out every week and we're going to make sure we're in front of [reporters]talking about what we're presenting to the province," she said.

The next general election in Manitoba is expected inApril 2016.