From Stanley Park to Surrey to a downtown Victoria pub, the four major party leaders are spending the final day of the federal election campaign in B.C.
Political experts say that shows just how critical B.C. is to Monday’s election results.
“B.C.’s not only going to matter it’s going to be radically uncertain I think until we see every last vote come in,” said David Black, a political communications professor at Royal Roads University.
Black says with about eight Lower Mainland seats are polling as a “toss up”, and with a minority government looking likely, it is high stakes for Liberal leader Justin Trudeau and Conservative leader Andrew Scheer.
“Every toss up race that’s won, every pick up that’s available here, is going to be game changing for the Conservative and the Liberals,” Black said.
And B.C., and Vancouver Island in particular, is proving just as critical for NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and Green Party leader Elizabeth May.
“For the NDP, salvaging some influence in the event of a Liberal minority and for the Greens, proving their viability as a national party,” said Black.
Making things even more interesting is that it may be young voters who have the final say.
“Their own partisan choices are more fluid, they don’t have a history of voting for party x or party y so they are persuadable and it’s that persuadable swing vote that is absolutely so important when you have a race nationally that is really too close to call,” he said.
And in the likelihood of a minority, it may remain just as uncertain after the results are in Monday night.
April Lawrence
