B.C. election campaigns ramp up in final week

VANCOUVER – With less than a week until Election Day in British Columbia, party leaders are making their rounds across the province trying to sway voters.

At a campaign event in Kelowna yesterday, Liberal Leader Christy Clark tailored her election pitch to Okanagan voters.

Clark says the province is under threat from the rising protectionism from Americans under U.S. President Donald Trump and only a Liberal government can keep the economy safe.

READ MORE: Thousands vote in B.C. election advance polls

Clark has responded to U.S. tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber by calling on the federal government to levy a tax on thermal coal shipped through B.C. ports, most of which comes from the States.

NDP Leader John Horgan told laid-off mill workers in Merritt yesterday that the forest industry shed thousands of jobs under the Liberal’s watch, and if elected, he would visit Washington within 30 days to make his case in the softwood dispute.

In Vancouver, Green Leader Andrew Weaver attacked both of his opponents, saying his is the only party with a plan to create a prosperous future for the province.

Weaver’s schedule takes him to Vancouver, Victoria and Duncan today while Horgan is expected to campaign in North Vancouver and Surrey.