CALGARY – We’re just days away from finding out who will fill the seat of the late Manmeet Bhullar in Calgary-Greenway.
Progressive Conservative MLA Manmeet Bhullar was killed in a car crash last November, after stopping to help a motorist who rolled into the median.
The byelection for Calgary-Greenway is Tuesday and advance polls close Saturday night.
It’s a diverse riding, where many languages and cultures can share the same street.
For many, it’s a new beginning.
“There’s of course a lot of immigrant families here who came to Canada for good education for their children and good health care,” Roop Rai said.
There’s a wide range of issues to wade through and for Calgary-Greenway candidates, the clock is ticking.
For some, face to face is the way to win votes.
“Door knocking, door knocking, door knocking,” candidate Khalil Karbani said.
The north-east riding has long been a progressive conservative stronghold.
A recent poll shows it’s a tight race and experts say, although the balance of power in the province won’t change, the stakes are still high.
“This will be an important byelection from a symbolic point of view. Whichever party wins is going to have a real moral victory here,”independent pollster Janet Brown said. “It’s going to give them a real shot in the arm during this difficult political times.”
At advance polls Saturday, people trickled in and out.
Steps away from the doors, some voters were still on the fence.
“They’ve done a pretty good job of getting out and talking to the public but I still haven’t really decided. Once I get in there and I’m between two people, once I get in there I’ll make my final decision,” voter Pat Brown said.
In many byelections, the biggest obstacle can be turnout.
“Turnout in byelections tends to be low, so it’s really going to come down to the power of the campaigns and their ability to get out the vote,” Brown said.
Which leaves candidates a matter of days and that many more doors to knock on.
Comments