The struggling BC Liberals are about to face a true test of their popularity as the NDP and Conservatives appear ready for strong showings in an upcoming byelection.
Chilliwack-Hope was once considered a Liberals strongholds, but that seat seems less safe as it heads into a byelection that must be called by July. Challengers have been lining up to fight since Liberal MLA Barry Penner announced he was leaving politics last year.
NDP candidate Gwen O'Mahony believes her party has a real chance in a riding that the Liberals have held for two decades.
"We're going to put on probably the most precedent-setting campaign that this area has ever seen," she told CTV News.
"If we could win this ... byelection, it would be a historic high for us."
Conservative candidate John Martin also thinks the Liberals might be losing their grip on the riding.
"This riding is up for grabs. The Liberals don't own this riding like they think they do," he said.
He doesn't agree that a strong showing for the Conservatives could split the vote on the right and lead to an NDP win.
"The only thing that is stopping the NDP from completely wiping out the election is the BC Conservatives. Without us in the game, the NDP would win in a landslide," he said.
Laurie Throness will be acclaimed as the Liberal candidate at a nomination meeting on Saturday.
The latest poll from Angus Reid Public Opinion, released Wednesday, shows the NDP at 42-per-cent support among decided and leaning voters across the province, ahead of the Liberals at 28 per cent and the Conservatives at 19 per cent.
At the Chilliwack Airport Coffee Shop, some lunch rush customers said they care less about voting for the NDP or Conservatives than they care about getting rid of the Liberals.
"I'm basically not NDP, but I might vote NDP just so we get a change," Henry Peters said.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Michele Brunoro
