Monday is election day in Canada, and many British Columbians lined up early across the province to cast their vote in the 42nd general election.
According to the Nanos Research Poll for B.C. released on Oct. 18, the Liberals were leading at 32.9 percent, followed by the Conservatives at 29.4 per cent, the NDP at 25.2 per cent, and the Green Party at 12.5 per cent.
Three federal leaders made final pushes in B.C. on Sunday, aware of the neck-in-neck race across the province.
Liberal leader Justin Trudeau spoke in North Vancouver, Conservative leader Stephen Harper was at a rally in Abbotsford, and Green party leader Elizabeth May ended the campaign in Victoria.
Meanwhile, NDP leader Tom Mulcair made a B.C stop on Saturday before heading to central Canada Sunday.
Candidates across 42 B.C. ridings are now gearing up for a long day getting their supporters to the polls. Several ridings will be among those being watched closely tonight as voters make their choice in the federal election.
In Surrey-Newton, the NDP's Jinny Simms is trying to hold off former Liberal incumbent Sukh Dhaliwal and Conservative candidate Tory Harpeet Singh, who is a well-known local broadcaster.
The new riding of Vancouver-Granville, which has been carved out of several Vancouver voting districts, could see some strategic voting in a tight race between Conservative Erinn Broshko, Liberal Jody Wilson-Raybould and the NDP's Mira Oreck.
Six new ridings have been added to the mix in this province since the last national vote. When the election was called 11 weeks ago, B.C. was represented by 36 members of Parliament, including 31 Conservatives, 12 New Democrats, two Liberals and one Green.
Former B.C. finance minister Carole Taylor spoke to CTV News about her election predictions Monday morning.
“I think it’s the end of the Harper era, no matter what happens,” said Taylor. “I’m not comfortable relying completely on polls because they’ve been so wrong, but I think it could be a minority either way…But in either case I think this in the end of Mr. Harper’s time.”
UBC political science professor Max Cameron also weighed in on the election.
“My guess is that it’s really a minority Liberal or majority Liberal, but my guess is also that the polls understate the Conservative strength,” Cameron said.
“The story out here has been – like in much of the country – an increase in the intention to vote for the Liberals and a slide on the part of the NDP…Voters have been trying to figure out where to park their ‘anyone but Harper’ vote – those who want change.”
Polls opened in B.C. at 7 a.m. and will close at 7 p.m., which means they close an hour earlier than municipal and provincial elections, where you can vote until 8 p.m.
Elections Canada has staggered the voting hours across the country so the majority of results are available at approximately the same time. Polls close later the further east you go, from 7:30 p.m. in the Mountain Time zone to 9:30 p.m. in the Eastern Time zone.
Dorothy Sitek of Elections Canada says British Columbians will not be turned away as long as they arrive at the voting station by 7 p.m.
“If there’s a lineup, either outside the location, even around the corner, as long as you’re there before 7 p.m. you will be fine,” she said.
Employers are also required to give three hours of consecutive time off to vote.
With files from The Canadian Press
