Rolf Dinsdale to stand for Liberals in Manitoba byelection

Rolf Dinsdale (http://rolfdinsdale.ca/)

BRANDON, Man. -- The son of a former Conservative member of Parliament has been chosen to represent the federal Liberal party in the Brandon-Souris riding in Manitoba.

Rolf Dinsdale recently moved back from Toronto to Brandon, where his family history runs deep.

His father, Walter Dinsdale, was the area's Tory MP for 32 years and his grandfather, George Dinsdale, was a Brandon mayor and legislature member.

Dinsdale made headlines last month when his website claimed he was a senior executive at Facebook.

After initially saying he did not find the statement misleading, Dinsdale tweaked the site to clarify he worked at a Toronto company that did work for Facebook.

More than 200 people turned out for Wednesday's vote.

"I am excited to have been elected to represent the Liberal Party of Canada in the riding of Brandon-Souris during the forthcoming byelection campaign," he said.

"I look forward to continuing my family's proud tradition of serving this community with honesty, transparency, accessibility and integrity."

Dinsdale may be in for an uphill battle in Brandon-Souris, a long-time Tory stronghold. In 2011, the Liberal candidate finished fourth, slightly behind the Green Party candidate.

A date has not yet been set for the byelection, which must be held to replace Conservative Merv Tweed, who resigned last month. The Liberals have yet to set a date for their nomination meeting.