Liberal leader Mark Carney made a final stop in Victoria in the final days leading up to the April 28 election.
On Wednesday, April 23, Carney, joined by other Vancouver Island Liberal candidates, talked U.S. relations, the Conservative platform, drug addiction and homelessness, and ferry funding at the Empress Hotel during his final B.C. stops this election.
The Liberal budget in 2024 proposed to provide just over $125 million over five years for ferry services on Canada's East Coast to "support its continued
operations and keep fares affordable" while BC Ferries; operations were not even mentioned. Recently, BC Ferries has raised fares, food and parking prices on April 1 as "demand has outpaced available space and we expect it will continue to do so in the future."
At a stop in Charlottetown, P.E.I. this week, Carney pledged to lower costs by at least half for passengers on a number of ferry routes on the East Coast.
Carney said the interlinkages of the eastern provinces were "immediately more pressing" in terms of economic output, however, he did say he would be open to working with the B.C. Government around BC Ferries in the future.
"I'm open to working with the province if necessary to ensure that the islands in B.C. are properly supported," he told reporters. "I would like to underscore my personal respect for the premier and how pleased I am that we've established very quickly a very productive working relationship on everything from forest to critical metals and minerals to tackling housing and issues around transport."
Vancouver Island ridings, especially the four in Greater Victoria, have proven to be a battleground for the Liberals for the first time in years, as support for the NDP declines according to multiple national polls, and longtime NDP strongholds on the Island could be up for grabs.
"This is a crucial election, and I just really want to underscore that the sun may be shining, but we are in the worst crisis of our lifetime," he said. "The stakes are enormous here in Victoria, all the way up Island and across British Columbia, and across Canada, and that's why we're here, to get that message across."
Candidate campaigns are coming to a close as Canadians go to vote on Monday, April 28.
