Liberal, Conservative candidates still battling for seat in Winnipeg's westernmost riding

Some Winnipeggers went to bed Monday not knowing who their member of Parliament will be,with the racein their riding stilltoo close to call.

The battle for Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia-Headingley, the city's westernmost riding, was still neck-and-neck between Conservative incumbent Marty Morantz and his challenger, Liberal Doug Eyolfson who held the seat before Morantz won it in 2019 by a margin of2,417 votes.

Eyolfson, an emergency room doctor, took a slight lead overMorantz in the early hours after Manitoba's polls closed at 8:30 p.m. CT.

Later in the evening, though,Morantz a long-time Winnipeg city councillor before he moved to federal politics started to pull ahead.

But with Justin Trudeau's Liberals projected by CBC to win another minority government, Eyolfsontold supporters there was reason to celebrate.

"We don't know how this race has concluded yet, but we know this is a good night for Canadians," he said shortly after 11 p.m. at his campaign party.

CBC News didn't project a winner in the riding on Monday night. Shortly past midnight, with 160 of 170 polls reporting, Morantz led by 400 votes.

However, more than 3,400 mail-in ballots were returned in the riding. Thoseballots won't be counted until Tuesday.

"Everyone anticipated that this was going to be a close race," Morantz said in astatement emailed late Monday night. "There are a lot more votes to be counted, after which I will be happy to comment further."

Eyolfson'scampaign manager, Paul Brault, said mail-in ballot counting will startat 9 a.m.

He expected it will take most of the day, but believesthe outcome will be known by the end of Tuesday.

Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia-Headingley was the only one of Manitoba's 14 ridings where CBC did not project a winner Monday night.

The incumbents were re-elected in all 13 of the province's other ridings, according to CBC's projections six Conservatives, four Liberals and three NDPcandidates.