Canada’s 43rd general election campaign is officially underway. Every election, without fail, someone will tell you that “every vote counts.” It’s true, but try telling that to a Green supporter in northern Alberta or a Conservative living in a major city’s downtown core.
The good news is we know we matter. Despite what you may be used to hearing some pundits say, B.C.’s seats could decide which party forms government after the election and whether they’ll have a majority or a minority.
Additionally, North Vancouver and West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country are both swing ridings that tend to flip. More often than not, they are bellwethers for the rest of the country. So goes the North Shore, so goes the government.
Burnaby North-Seymour, now in its sophomore election cycle, is also very much up for grabs.
Close ridings like ours are also more prone to strategic voting, which makes the North Shore even harder to predict.
All of this means we’re going to be getting a lot of attention from the parties and their leaders in the coming weeks. You will get texts, calls, emails and targeted advertisements that seem uncannily specific for someone in your demographic. But as the rhetoric ramps up and as social media sites circulate stories that feel like they just have to be true, we ask you not to sway amid rage and stick to trusted sources.
In the coming weeks, you can expect from us issues-based stories, all-candidates meetings coverage, and analysis all under one heading at nsnews.com. And on Oct. 21, we’ll be there ready to report what you’ve decided.
