B.C. New Democrat Leader Carole James had a marathon day campaigning in the Vancouver region on Friday, while Liberal Leader Gordon Campbell headed into the Okanagan to shore up support in key ridings in the final days of the provincial election campaign.
Pollsters and pundits can't seem to agree on what voters intend to do when they mark their ballots on Tuesday, and James said she expects a "squeaker," so every vote will count.
The New Democrat leader was on a campaign blitz Friday, hitting 12 ridings in 18 hours.
Some polls have given the Liberals a nine-point edge over the New Democrats, while others put the parties in a near dead heat. A survey by The Canadian Press Harris-Decima suggests there is a large number of undecided voters in this late stage of the campaign.
"There's not a lot of hours left and I want to make sure that we've used every hour to really remind British Columbians what's at stake in this election, to really remind the people of this province that this is their province...,"James said as she campaigned in the Lower Mainland.
In New Westminster, the NDP leader stopped at Burger Heaven to see how she's been doing in the restaurant's hamburger poll.
The NDP "lean-to-the left" burger, featuring Jack (as in Layton) cheese and unions, or onions, is winning so far, with 157 burgers sold. The Gordon Campbell burger, with "Point Grey Poupon" mustard, in reference to Campbell's Point Grey riding, is second at 124 burgers.
The restaurant has sold 29 Green burgers, dressed with green tomatoes.
Restaurant owner Jude Mural said the restaurant has been conducting its hamburger poll for the last 20 years and it's been an accurate predictor of who wins in the riding.
But he said an election is a serious issue and it's important for people to talk about it.
"It makes for great conversation inside the restaurant and sometimes heated debates," he told reporters.
In Burnaby, James took reporters to the site where the provincial government had planned to build a remand centre until a public outcry. She said the planning process for the centre was typical of the Liberal government.
"It's not simply about the prison. It's about an attitude -- an attitude of a government that doesn't talk with communities, that thinks they know best," she told reporters.
Liberal Leader Gordon Campbell was in the Okanagan on Friday, where he stopped at three area wineries in Kelowna and Summerland before holding an evening rally in Penticton.
Former B.C. premier Bill Bennett took a seat beside him on the Liberal campaign bus as it cruised through Kelowna, a Liberal stronghold with three ridings
Bennett was on the bus as it rolled over the W. R. Bennett Bridge, which is named after the former premier, whose father W.A.C. Bennett was also a provincial premier.
Campbell and Bennett took a stroll through some of the Okanagan's vineyards that overlook the dark blue waters of Okanagan Lake.
The last time Bennett and Campbell walked through the same vineyards at Quail's Gate winery in Kelowna was during the 2001 election campaign that saw Campbell's Liberals toss the two-term New Democrats with a massive 77 to two majority.
Bennett, 76, the last B.C. politician to be elected premier in three elections, smiled broadly, but offered few comments about his conversation with Campbell, who is also seeking his third consecutive mandate.
"I don't give advice," said Bennett as the two leaders approached reporters after their walk.
Campbell and Bennett, pundits have said in the past, share similar political pedigrees. Both lean toward the Conservative side, and both were unpopular with many British Columbians, but still managed to maintain power.
Bennett angered the labour movement with his restraint program, but is credited with showing off British Columbia to the world with Expo '86.
Campbell slashed government jobs and programs to save costs, but raised the ire of the union movement and social groups.
"This is the tradition," said Campbell. "I get a chance to sit down with Bill and get a little bit of advice from him on how to close out the last four days."
Campbell urged Kelowna supporters to make sure every Liberal supporter casts a ballot on Tuesday.
"Your vote counts," he said. "Vote to protect your job. We cannot afford to go back."
A relaxed and confident Campbell strolled through several local wineries, sipping apple juice and chatting with employees and visitors. Campbell, who was arrested for drunk driving in Maui in 2003, no longer drinks alcohol.
On Friday, he joked with reporters about the campaign stops in the Okanagan.
"I'm sorry I have to put you through this, but you have to be fair-minded about this," he said as the bus pulled up to the Sumac Ridge winery in Summerland, B.C.
