NDP releases B.C.-specific platform in bid to capture undecided voters

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New Democrats in British Columbia hope a newly released platform that sums up the party's B.C.-specific promises will help them win over undecided voters in the final week of the federal election campaign, as the party appears to be faltering nationally but remains competitive on the West Coast.

Building a Better British Columbia, a 20-page document released on Tuesday at a news conference in Vancouver's Olympic Village neighbourhood, echoes a previous approach by the federal Liberals, although that party says it does not plan to do the same for this campaign.

"When you look at the higher level of undecideds, people are really looking for substance," Peter Julian, a veteran MP seeking re-election in his Burnaby-New Westminster riding, said after the news conference, which featured NDP candidates from the Lower Mainland talking about the campaign.

Mr. Julian said the B.C. platform is tailored to those undecideds. "It's one thing I've seen on the doorstep. The folks that are undecided are really asking probing questions about affordable housing, about health care. C-51 comes up."

The NDP's push in B.C. comes as national polls suggest the New Democrats have fallen to third place behind the Liberals and Conservatives. Mr. Julian suggested those parties could split the vote to a degree that could help elect New Democrats.

With 42 seats, up six from the 2011 election, B.C. is seen as a battleground that could help decide the outcome of the election.

In 2011, New Democrats won 12 B.C. seats compared to 21 for the Conservatives and two for the Liberals. The Green Party won one seat.

The New Democrats and the Liberals are hoping to pick up seats in the province, where polls have suggested a tight three-way race.

Mr. Julian said the B.C. platform document is aimed at sending a "direct message" to British Columbia voters about the NDP's interest in issues that concern the province. He said New Democrats in B.C. had to wait for the recent release of the national platform before they could put together this document, which past federal campaigns have done as a "closer."

The B.C platform – a mix of national commitments and B.C. priorities – emphasizes plans to defend the B.C. coast, re-open the Kitsilano Coast Guard base, protect B.C. wild salmon by implementing the recommendations of a public inquiry known as the Cohen Commission, work with the province to reduce raw log exports, and introduce a microbrewery tax credit.

"There are issues here that aren't really part of the national platform," Mr. Julian said. "Restoring the Coast Guard stations that have been closed? That's a profound B.C. issue. Moving to close containment in aquaculture? That's a B.C. issue."

The Liberal Party did not have a specific B.C. platform document, but released a roster of commitments relevant to B.C. that have been rolled out during the campaign.

They include federal funding for transit that would help increase SeaBus service, extend rapid-transit service along Broadway, and bring light rail to Surrey; increased protection for coastal areas; and a promise to re-open the Kitsilano Coast Guard base. Like the NDP platform, the Liberal list is a mix of specific provincial priorities and national issues relevant to B.C.

"It's strange to see the NDP talking about their B.C. strategy with six days to go in the longest campaign in Canadian history. It really is a day late and a dollar short," Bruce Young, the co-chair of the Liberals' B.C. campaign, said in a statement.

Mr. Young said B.C. has been central to the Liberal campaign, noting that party leader Justin Trudeau launched his national campaign in Vancouver and that the province is the only one where the party is running specific TV and radio ads.

A spokesperson for the Conservative Party did not respond to a question about a platform specific to B.C., but in an e-mail exchange pointed out that leader Stephen Harper released the national platform in Richmond last week.