The Cariboo-Prince George campaign seems to be all about the local candidates.
Or at least that’s what they want you to focus on. I’ve been to the official openings of the NDP, Liberal, Conservative, and Green Party offices and, guess what, not a photo of a leader to be seen anywhere.
The NDP had pictures of Jack Layton and Tommy Douglas up on the walls, and at least they had a copy of Jagmeet Singh’s book on the coffee table, but no pictures. Ditto for all the other offices.
In this election of picking the best of the worst, our local candidates seem to want you to focus on them, not their lacklustre leaders.
BALLOTS FILLING IN
The Liberals have finally named a candidate in the Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies riding. Mavis Erickson will be unveiled to local media later this afternoon. Twice elected Carrier Sekani Tribal Chief and Harvard Law School graduate, Erickson has plenty of local, provincial, and federal political and social experiences.
The NDP have yet to name a candidate in the riding.
BEST COMMENT OF THE CAMPAIGN
Prince George-Cariboo Green Party candidate Mackenzie Kerr has the best comment of the campaign so far. When the Trudeau brownface scandal erupted last week she called him a “shmuck,” and that if he didn’t understand the ramifications of his actions he should be “smacked upside the head.”
THERE OUGHT TO BE A LAW
All the federal parties are sinking money into securing your vote and, more and more, that money gets sunk into Facebook advertising. How much, you ask? Well, ask no more. The federal Liberal campaign has spent $148,947 with Facebook so far, the Conservatives $73,478, and the NDP $26,328.
The issue I have with the spending? All that money immediately leaves the country.
Maybe there ought to be a law that political campaigns can only spend their money in the country. Maybe then we might not need to bail out major newspapers.
WHAT THE POLLS SAY
Even with the latest Liberal scandal, polls still peg the race at a dead heat, nationally. Canada 338, which aggregates all the national and regional polls to get a better picture of the race, projects the Liberals will win 157 seats, the Conservatives 143, the Bloc Quebecois 18, the NDP 15, and the Greens four.
It lists Cariboo-Prince George as being “likely Conservative,” with 42.5 per cent of the vote, the Liberals at 24.9 per cent, the NDP at 17.8, the Greens at 11.4, and the People’s Party of Canada at 2.9 per cent.
It lists Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies as “safe Conservative, with 51.1 per cent of the vote, the Liberals at 18.6 per cent, the Greens at 15.7 per cent, the NDP at 10 per cent, and the People’s Party of Canada at 3.8 per cent.
It lists the Skeena-Bulkley Valley riding as “leaning NDP,” with 36 per cent of the vote, the Conservatives at 31.6 per cent, the Liberals at 15.2 per cent, the Greens at 13.1 per cent, and the People’s Party of Canada at 3.5 per cent.