Leaders campaign on Vancouver Island in federal election’s home stretch

We are in the final stretch of the federal election campaign and we now know more than 200,000 voters on Vancouver Island cast their ballots in advance polls.

According to Elections Canada data on advance polls, 211,491 voters on Vancouver Island have already cast their ballot in the 2025 federal election.

Of the region’s seven electoral districts, Saanich-Gulf Islands has the highest number with 37,468 advance votes – which also ranks second in the country next to Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s Ottawa-area riding.

“We’ll see what happens. I’m not the kind of person who likes to predict who’s winning or how many seats we’re going to win. But I am feeling positive going into Monday,” said Green co-leader Elizabeth May.

She’s campaigning alongside Nanaimo-Ladysmith candidate, Paul Manly, in the home stretch before general voting April 28. The party focused on its plan to end poverty at a press conference at Victoria’s Inn at Laurel Point Friday.

“Poverty is expensive and there’s no excuse for it in this country,” said May. “Please look at what Greens have put forward in a platform, look at how we found the money to keep our promises.”

University of Victoria political scientist Michael Prince says, strategically, the choice in topic suggests the Greens are trying to sway progressive votes.

“The polls have been very challenging for the Green Party nationally, provincially, and even here on the island. Tuesday morning, she wants to be able to say ‘I left everything out there,’” said Prince.

Poilievre is returning to Vancouver Island again this campaign. He’s visiting Nanoose Bay after starting in Saskatoon Friday morning, where he said he would keep parliament open through summer to pass legislation on key promises. He also addressed how his party would deal with U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

“We need to take direct action to end the tariff chaos with a position of strength. Not by spreading lies to exaggerate as Mr. Carney has done, but rather by becoming more self-reliant, strong and sovereign,” said Poilievre.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney campaigned in Sault St. Marie following a visit to Victoria and Esquimalt earlier in the week.

Pundits say Canadian tension with the Trump administration has favoured Liberal polling.

Carney stuck to the topic again Friday.

“This is Canada. We decide what we do here,” he said.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh focused on the role his party can play in Toronto.

“The only way, and proven by our history, Liberals do the right thing are when New Democrats force them to do it,” he said.

Prince figures Singh will return to the island for another campaign stop, trying to hold ground before the rest of eligible Canadians vote.

“It’s fascinating because both the Liberals and the Conservatives think with the decline in the NDP support national and even here within B.C., which is historically one of their strongholds, the other parties like their chances in a way that perhaps we weren’t thinking about a year or so ago,” said Prince.

Elections Canada data shows more than seven million Canadians have already cast their ballots in advance polls.