According to the most recent results by polling aggregator threehundredeight.com, the Liberals are in the lead.
In fact, they may even be poised to win a majority — the party currently holds 37.2 per cent of voter support compared with just 30.9 per cent for the incumbent Conservatives and 21.7 per cent for the trailing NDP.
Anything can happen, and many ridings across the country are still locked in a three-way race, but Green Party leader Elizabeth May believes the point margin is wide enough to start thinking beyond 'strategic voting.'
"Let’s face it," she told National Observer on the final weekend of the campaign. "The Liberals have a big lead over the Conservatives on the seat count. The seat count makes it clear that Stephen Harper and the Conservatives are not in striking distance in this election."
So what does that mean?
Vote for the candidate you believe in, she said simply, because that's what democracy is all about.
Don't worry about vote-splitting
"I wish half as much attention had been focused on encouraging Canadians to get out and vote as worrying Canadians that if they vote for what they want, they might get what they don’t want," she explained.
"I certainly understand the feeling, but I think this close to the vote — looking at the polling numbers and looking at the seat counts — I think it’s time to stop the mania."
For her part, that means voting Green in ridings where the Conservatives won't win, particularly in British Columbia.
"Now matter how many good people there are under other parties’ banners, we’re the only party that is resolute with a commitment to defend our coastline," she said. "Elect Greens in B.C. to be the ones in Parliament to stand up for B.C., to stand up for our coastlines, to make sure we don’t have seven times more tankers coming out of Vancouver Harbour, to have real climate action and be sure we repeal Bill C-51."
May currently leads the polls in her own riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands with 94 per cent chance of re-election, but her candidates have also polled well against the Liberals in Nanaimo-Ladysmith and Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke, and the NDP in Kootenay-Columbia, and Vancouver Centre.
Thanks to the recent Conservative point dip, she also said "growing the vote" matters more than worrying about "splitting the vote."
"My message to everyone anywhere is get out and vote, regardless of how you want to vote," she explained. "I’m not interested in trying to tell people, 'If you don’t want to vote Green, don’t vote.' Wherever you are, please be sure you vote."
May spent the weekend touring Vancouver Island with her team, making stops in Duncan, Langford, Nanaimo, Courtenay and more. She will wrap up Election Day with a party in Victoria. The Green Party is currently in fourth place in the federal election, with roughly 4.4 per cent of voter support.
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