Liberals, NDP, Greens set to battle for Vancouver Island ridings
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau were in B.C.’s Lower Mainland on Wednesday morning.
Hamish Telford, a political science professor at the University of the Fraser Valley says the Liberals, NDP and Conservatives are expected to battle hard for the 42 seats up for grabs in B.C.
“When you look at the opinion polls, we see almost a three-way tie amongst those three big parties,” said Telford.
But the support for each of the major three parties is quite regionalized within B.C., and it’s not expected to be so close between the parties on Vancouver Island.
The island went mainly NDP last election, with two Green seats.
Victoria NDP MP Laurel Collins says she’s hopeful voters give her the chance to continue what she started two years ago.
“[We] relentlessly pushed this government to take bold action on the climate crisis, on housing, and I hope that the community will send me back to keep fighting for them,” said Collins from her campaign office Tuesday.
Collins’s seat is one of the few on Vancouver Island that Telford says could change hands.
“If the Liberals have any chances on the island, it would be in the Victoria area, and only really if we see a strong national campaign,” he said.
Nikki Macdonald came third in the riding in 2019 and is running again to beat Collins. She’s tapping into one of the election's top issues – climate change – and emphasizing her background in marine climate policy.
“The number one issue I'm hearing when I’m knocking doors is climate change,” said Macdonald Tuesday, noting she had already knocked on about 2,000 doors.
Meanwhile, the NDP will be hoping to add to their stronghold on the island, and aiming to flip Green MP Paul Manly’s seat in Nanaimo-Ladysmith, especially since former Green Party leader Elizabeth May is likely a good bet for re-election in her riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands.
“They own most of Vancouver Island and I think they would very much like to get one of the Green seats back, the one in Nanaimo, and I think that is possible,” said Telford.
But Manly, who won a by-election in 2019 and then the general election later that year, says he plans to fight hard and points to Sunday’s endorsement from environmentalist David Suzuki.
“Anyone who thinks that were not going to be up for a good strong fight to retain this seat in Nanaimo-Ladysmith is going to be surprised,” said Manly.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW What Canada is doing about the toxic forever chemicals in drinking water
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
Arrest made, manslaughter charge pending in 2022 death of Calgary toddler
Calgary police have arrested a man and a charge is pending in connection with the death of a toddler in 2022.
Prince William returns to public duties after wife Kate's cancer revelation
Prince William will return to public duties on Thursday for the first time since his wife Kate revealed she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy for cancer.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson Airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Here's why experts don't think cloud seeding played a role in Dubai's downpour
Scientists say it's highly unlikely cloud seeding is responsible for the heavy rains that have caused flooding in the United Arab Emirates this month, and that climate change is the more likely culprit.