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Monday is the day before British Columbia Provincial electionsAlthough the official campaign has not yet begun, the political parties have already started promoting their campaigns to the voters.
“We are in the pre-election phase, there’s no doubt about it,” NDP Leader David Eby said Monday while campaigning with Oak Bay-Gordon Head candidate Diana Gibson.
The verbal debate has already begun as health care, affordability and housing become key issues.
“You think things are expensive now, just wait and see what the Conservatives are going to impose on them, and I look forward to the debate,” Eby said.
This will be the first time Eby, Conservative Leader John Rustad and BC United Party Leader Kevin Falcon will run in an election as party leaders.
Recent polls show the New Democratic Party in first place, with the Conservatives a close second and the United British Columbia Party and the Green Party of British Columbia in third place.
Rustad has long argued that the Conservatives are the only alternative to overthrowing the ruling New Democratic Party, which is targeting essentially the same issues.
“Whether it’s the Lower Mainland, the Northeast, the Okanagan or the islands, the issues are the same — affordability is a real issue for people. Housing is a huge issue. Health care is a huge issue,” he said.
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“A third of people are thinking about leaving. Half of young people are thinking about leaving. For me, that’s something I hear again and again.”
While incumbent parties typically have an advantage in elections, the NDP faces the same headwinds as governments around the world in the post-pandemic world and the aftermath of inflation and high interest rates, said Stewart Prest, a political scientist at the University of British Columbia.
“In an election like this, the incumbent president could face a setback. There has been a certain level of frustration over the last few years, much of it from younger voters who feel like they’ve been abandoned or ignored by the system,” he said.
Prest said the challenge for the NDP is to make a good case to voters why they deserve re-election. He said that will involve creating a sharp contrast with their rivals while showing how they will deliver results on core issues. At the same time, Eby needs to connect emotionally with voters who haven’t seen him lead the party on the campaign trail.
Stewart said the key to a Conservative victory is to continue to focus on the government and its glaring shortcomings while taking advantage of the current frustrations of British Columbians.
At the same time, Rustad needs to deal with the contradictions between social conservatives and populist supporters in the party, while the party needs to win the support of centrist voters to win the election. This contradiction may also be reflected between party supporters and some new candidates who defected from the center-right United British Columbia Party.
“He really has to find ways to have multiple conversations with these different groups of voters at once and effectively defy gravity in a sense and speak two different languages at once,” Priest said.
Prest said the United BC Party, currently the official opposition but which has fallen in the polls, faces the toughest battle.
“It’s hard to see the path back for BC United … there’s no support anymore,” he said.
“Something has to change. That’s not to say BC United can’t bounce back, but they’re definitely looking for someone in front of them to stumble.”
United BC Party Leader Kevin Falcon questioned the accuracy of polls two months before the vote and recently proposed a major income tax cut in an effort to revive his campaign.
This year, British Columbia voters will cast ballots in expanded ridings that will expand to 93, six more than in the 2020 provincial election.
The Conservatives are leading the recruitment effort, with 81 constituencies having confirmed candidates so far.
The NDP recruited 74 candidates, the BC United Party recruited 57, and the BC Green Party recruited just 21.
However, the NDP continues to lead in fundraising, bringing in $2.2 million between April and June. The Conservatives raised $1.1 million during the same period, while BC United raised $627,000 and the Green Party raised $334,000.
The official campaign period will begin on September 21st and election day will be October 19th.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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