Amid cultural wars being played during the election campaign and an electorate focused on cost-of-living issues, the B.C. election could be a testing ground for the federal election, observers say.
“I think in a number of ways, B.C. is a microcosm for the country as a whole,” says Stewart Prest, a political science lecturer at the University of British Columbia.
“We see concerns about affordability and about access to affordable housing, concerns about the management of the economy. … Health care seems to be another issue as well, which we know resonates in every election, both federal and provincial.”
Federal politics have also had significant impacts in B.C., with the provincial Conservatives adopting slogans and key strategies such as “axing the carbon tax” that are federal Tory Leader Pierre Poilievre’s signature topics….