British Columbia was on the national stage Monday as a big day of campaigning in the upcoming federal election brought two party leaders to town.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper began the week by making a speech from the back yard of a home in Richmond, B.C., a Vancouver suburb
"Our government has worked hard to put thousands of dollars back into the hands of the average Canadian family,'' Harper said.
New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton was also in Vancouver Monday, where he delivered a speech from the Italian Cultural Centre in east Vancouver.
In the past, critics have charged that elections have been called before B.C. voters have closed the polls. But this time could be different.
"B.C. is an incredibly important part of the puzzle,'' said David Emerson, co-chair of the Conservative Party's western campaign.
"You look at West Vancouver, Howe sound, North Vancouver, the East Kootenays,'' he said.
He believes even his former riding of Vancouver Kingsway is winnable. That's the neighbourhood where his decision to leave the Liberals for the Conservative party, after being elected, was widely protested.
Whether or not it's winnable, it's one of many ridings to watch, experts say.
"B.C.'s a very important province for this election. There's a number of ridings that are very very competitive, large number of them in fact,'' said Allan Tupper, a UBC Political Scientist.
That competition likely means high profile politicians will be paying many visits to the west coast in the next few weeks.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Sarah Galashan.
