As the New Westminster candidates head into the homestretch of the 2017 provincial election campaign, it’s anyone’s guess who is going to come out on top on election night.
While the NDP has a long history of winning in New Westminster, many people think it will be a close race between NDP candidate/incumbent Judy Darcy and Green party candidate Jonina Campbell.
“I think it’s going to be a nail biter night,” Campbell said. “I think it’s going to be a very close election. Voter turnout is probably the critical part in this.”
When third-party candidates have won in other jurisdictions, Campbell said it usually occurs when there is a higher voter turnout.
“We are hearing a lot from people that they have voted NDP because they didn’t like the Liberals or they voted Liberals because they didn’t like the NDP so they are really excited to vote for something. I think that will bring people out – the sense that it is not a shoe-in, they can make a difference,” she said. “People in New West have felt it didn’t matter before, it’s just always NDP. That to me speaks a lot that people want change then they can come out and vote for change.”
Darcy is focusing on her campaign – not on election predictions.
“I am going to leave that to the voters do decide. I don’t make predictions. I think there is tremendous support for the NDP,” she said. “People know my record. One of the things that has been really encouraging is the level of recognition on the doorstep. People know me, they know my record. They talk to me about the issues I have worked on like getting bus service restored on a couple of important routes, the rent bank, advocating for seniors' care.”
As the election campaign heads into the home stretch, at least one poll shows the NDP in the lead among decided voters.
“The polls have been wrong more often than they are right. We are taking nothing for granted. I am just redoubling my efforts to work morning, noon and night. Really, polls have been shown to be meaningless. What matters is what you hear on the doorstep, your record,” Darcy said. “People desperately want a change. It is visceral. It’s very profound how much people want change. I think they have been given some really clear choices in this election. Are we going to have a premier that is looking out for the wealthy and the powerful or are we going to have a premier and a government that is working for you? I think that is really what the ballot box questions boils down to.”
New Westminster Liberal candidate Lorraine Brett believes British Columbians will respond to the “amazing success” of the economy while the Liberals have been in power.
“I can only speak about my campaign. I see a definite resonance with voters, especially those who are undecided,” Brett said. “I think I have the potential to win this."
James Crosty, one of two candidates running for the B.C. Social Credit Party in B.C., repeatedly hears that people are tired of the NDP and Liberals. He’d love to see the SoCreds and the Greens finish in the top spots in New Westminster, but anticipates it will be “a dog race” between the NDP and the Greens.
No stranger to local politics, Crosty believes the NDP’s support is slipping, the Greens are engaging young voters and the Liberals have ran a weak campaign in New Westminster.
“What will happen? I really think New West is a crapshoot,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who gets in: We are going to be in the same boat we have been in for the last 30 years – out of government. That’s my feeling.”
New Westminster candidates will be campaigning hard in the final days of the campaign, with Darcy and Brett focusing on door knocking. Campbell and her team will be waving signs, holding a youth pizza night, enjoying a meal at Burger Heaven and doing daily door knocking, accompanied by Green Party of B.C. leader Andrew Weaver on Sunday.
Over in Richmond-Queensborough, the race is shaping up to be as exciting as its counterpart in New Westminster, as two major issues have been thrust into the spotlight since the battle began for this fledgling riding – housing affordability and the George Massey Tunnel replacement project.
“In terms of issues, affordability is the key issue here. Even the older generation who has houses, they have a concern for their children. I have seen families whose children have moved back in or whose children are older and they’re not moving out because of the affordability crisis,” NDP candidate Aman Singh told the Record.
The Liberals’ decision to approve the George Massey tunnel replacement project, which would see the tunnel replaced with a brand new bridge, is not sitting well with some residents in Richmond-Queensborough, according to candidates. That became especially clear when protesters crashed a B.C. Liberal Party campaign event attended by leader Christy Clark last month.
B.C. Green Party candidate Michael Wolfe said he’s been surprised by the number of people who’ve come out against the tunnel replacement and new bridge. He said he’s spoken with residents who feel the Liberals are pushing too hard for the new bridge despite pleas to stop the project.
“To hear from so many people who’ve been Liberal supporters, who’ve been NDP supporters and they’re just like, ‘Why now? I can’t believe this. This needs to be stopped. This is going to wreck our community,’” he said.
But that’s not the only concern Wolfe is hearing at the doorsteps.
“I’ve been hearing frustrations with people who have voted one way for a long time that are just completely fed up with the system – the political system, (and) the lack of representation that they feel and that MLAs provide,” he said.
For folks in Queensborough, some are still grappling with Elections B.C.’s decision to separate the two parts of New Westminster and to merge Queensborough with Richmond East.
“Many of them (residents) were surprised they were in this new riding, and most of them are concerned that they’re going to be left out, that their voices won’t be heard,” Wolfe said.
Liberal candidate Jas Johal agreed, saying most residents he’s spoken to are concerned about being forgotten after the election.
Singh likened Queensborough to a village, where everyone knows everyone.
B.C. Conservative candidate Kay Hale knows this all too well. She was called out for referring to Queensborough as Hamilton during the one and only all-candidates meeting held in the ’Boro last month.
Hale lamented there weren’t more debates held in Queensborough.
“I didn’t feel the way the debates were done did any justice to the residents of Queensborough because outside of the first debate that we had at the community centre in Queensborough, the rest of the debates were all in the heart of Richmond,” Hale said.
With the final week of the campaign in full swing, candidates are focusing on getting supporters to the polls.
“My sign requests in the last few days has been in Queensborough. I was just out there last night at 10 o’clock putting up more signs. And I’m going there for the weekend,” Wolfe said.
He’s hopeful the push by New Westminster Green party candidate Jonina Campbell will have an overflow effect on voters in Queensborough who are ready for a change in leadership.
He isn’t the only one.
Hale wants to see a more balanced legislature and to achieve that she’s encouraging residents to vote for a candidate, not a party.
“There’s such a broad demographic in British Columbia generally, and I think we need a balanced government in Victoria, and people should go out and vote for the candidate they think will be there for them,” she said.
Johal intends to keep up the door knocking (he’s already burned through a couple pairs of shoes, he said).
“To win is to really make sure we articulate what we’ve been able to accomplish and then moving forward on some key projects in and around the riding. Each corner, each neighbourhood is a little different,” he added.
Johal is hopeful residents will stick with the Liberals come May 9. Before it became Richmond-Queensborough, Richmond East had been held by a Liberal MLA for more than four decades.
“I’m hoping that changes on May 9,” Singh said.
But whatever the results, everyone agrees it’s still too close to call.
“It’s going to be a very tight race,” Singh said.
Advance voting turnout:
If advance voter turnout is any indication, there could be a jump in the number of ballots cast in the 2017 provincial election compared to the 2013 election.
During the first two days of advance polls, 3,409 voters cast a ballot in New Westminster compared to 2,354 in the first two days of the 2013 provincial election.
Over in the new riding of Richmond-Queensborough, 2,071 voters took advantage of advance polls last weekend. While there aren’t any exact numbers to compare that to, in the 2013 provincial election 1,114 people voted in the first two days of advance voting in Richmond East riding, the predecessor of the current riding.
Advance voting continues until Sunday. Polls are open May 4 (today), 5 and 6 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. To find an advance polling station, go to elections.bc.ca/wtv.
