Impacts of stormy U.S. election forecast in B.C.

Across the choppy sea from Victoria Monday, the end of a turbulent U.S. election campaign was mere hours away and many British Columbians were watching intently to see who becomes the next president.

Whether it's Kamala Harris or Donald Trump, the outcome is bound to impact people throughout the province. 

“We have two candidates with very different views of the world, essentially, and the way in which it ought to work,” said UBC political scientist Stewart Prest on Monday, the day before the election.

Prest says a Trump presidency would mean less action to combat climate change and less value placed on historic alliances.

“Mr. Trump is much more focused on a bargaining type relationship with the rest of the world, and that includes Canada,” said Prest.

Whoever prevails south of the border, it likely means some economic headwinds in B.C.

Regarding trade, Trump has already indicated he will impose tariffs on many Canadian goods, while Harris has also indicated a support for protecting U.S. products – meaning resource industries in B.C. could face challenges.

“Particularly, economic sectors that may be affected by trade negotiations, such as softwood lumber or the movement of energy,” said Prest.

There’s a lot on the line literally, even for gamblers. BC Lottery Corporation expects Tuesday’s election to be similar to the last one in 2020, when a record 16 thousand online bets in B.C. wagered 4.5 million dollars on the presidential race.

“We’re going to see more money wagered on the 2024 U.S. election than this past years Superbowl, so I think that speaks to how popular the U.S. election is for wagering here in British Columbia,” said Matt Lee with BCLC.

As folks here try to predict the outcome of a race, predicted to be close and potentially stormy, even after the polls close Tuesday night.