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“I’ll be very clear. I never worked directly for Facebook. I was a third-party agent. But this is very typical when companies expand into Canada, in the media business, that they’ll hire Canadian companies to represent them here.”

Segal and Facebook formed a “partnership,” Dinsdale said, and he reported to a vice-president at Facebook.

Dinsdale recently moved back from Toronto to Brandon, where his family history runs deep. His father, Walter Dinsdale, was the area’s Progressive Conservative member of Parliament for 32 years. His grandfather, George Dinsdale, was a Brandon mayor and legislature member.

The 47-year-old has experience in publishing and media sales. His campaign website says Dinsdale “became a senior executive at the leading social media network Facebook, and guided its Canadian business operations until 2009.”

If I’m guilty of anything, it’s of having a sense of humour and enjoying playing loud rock ’n’ roll with my friends

Unlike his father, Dinsdale has leaned Liberal. Until recently, he was a member of the punk rock band S–t From Hell, along with longtime Liberal strategist Warren Kinsella. The band’s songs include “Horny Single Mom” and “Jesus Got Wood.” The video for the latter features a writhing woman and the lyrics, “Baby you’re going to get impaled.”

Dinsdale says the songs show his sense of humour and he considers his material pro-Christian.

“If I’m guilty of anything, it’s of having a sense of humour and enjoying playing loud rock ’n’ roll with my friends.”

“Jesus Got Wood” is a Christian anthem, Dinsdale said.