The federal Conservatives are trying to use the New Democratic Party's two-year association with the unpopular governing Liberals as a means of wresting a longtime Winnipeg stronghold away from the NDP in an upcoming byelection.

On Sept. 16, voters in Elmwood-Transcona will choose a new MP to replace Daniel Blaikie, who resigned from the House of Commons in March after spending eight and a half years as the NDP representative for the eastern Winnipeg riding.

The NDP has won 10 out of the 11 elect…