A man casts his vote in the 2011 federal election in Toronto on May 2, 2011.

Image Credit: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Kelowna-Lake Country residents made good use of advance polling opportunities last week.

Elections Canada said 17,827 out of the riding's 99,992 eligible voters took advantage of advanced polling options, amounting to 17.8 per cent of the electorate.

“It’s a very substantial increase, and it’s following the pattern of what’s happening across Canada, which saw a 29 per cent increase,”  Andrea Morantz, a spokesperson for Elections Canada said.

Preliminary figures indicate some 4,700,000 electors voted at the advance polls over four days in Canada compared to 3,657,415 electors who voted in advance in the 2015 general election.

“It’s helped that there were 12 hours a day that the advanced polls are open,” Morantz said. “We got the message loud and clear from Canadians, that they like the greater options for voting.”

What it means, however, is anyone's guess.

"It is difficult to know exactly what high advance turnout means. On one side, it can be a reflection of interest in the election and motivation on the part of the voters," Maxime Héroux-Legault, assistant professor of political science at UBC-Okanagan.

"If this is correct, then this may suggest a high turnout on Monday. On the other hand, it may also be a sign that Elections Canada has been more effective in promoting advance voting and that Canadians are more willing to use this means to vote. In this case, it might not indicate increased enthusiasm or a surge of participation on Monday."

For those who have yet to decide, we have one last candidate question for Kelowna Lake Country.

Name one thing you wish your party was offering that another party offers and explain why? If there is a minority government, would you be willing to work with other parties?

Conservative candidate Tracy Gray
 
Regardless of whether there is a majority or minority government – if I’m honoured with being elected, my priority is to represent the interests and priorities of my constituents. I intend to remain connected with our community, to engage and understand what is most important for our community and to build the relationships that can best advance those priorities.

NDP Candidate Justin Kulik

Of course we aren’t perfect, but New Democrats have an amazing platform for this election to address problems, both major and minor, affecting Canadians.

If we are to form a majority government, these big promises would be accomplished. Under an NDP minority, of course, some concessions would have to be made, but we would ensure that our values are maintained as best as possible. If alternatively, the NDP is to hold a balance of power in a minority scenario, we would not prop up a Conservative government, so long as Andrew Scheer leads it.

Scheer has made some disgusting remarks, for which he still refuses to apologize, comparing marriage equality to a dog’s tail, and he has consistently held positions that don’t align with our values, such as his voting against Bill C-16, which added gender identity and expression to the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination to the Canadian Human Rights Act. As for other parties, we have not made firm decisions on whether or not to support them in a minority scenario.

Green Party Travis Ashley and Liberal MP Stephen Fuhr did not respond.

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