Election signs popped up at the corner of Highway 17 and Beacon Avenue shortly after the dropping of the writ, marking the start of Canada’s 43rd election campaign. (Wolf Depner/News Staff)

Member of Parliament and federal Green Party leader Elizabeth May predicts a successful campaign for her party, as Canada’s 43rd federal election has officially started.

“We’re likely to see more Greens elected in the area,” said May in an email after kicking off her party’s campaign with an event in downtown Victoria. She spent part of Wednesday travelling to Toronto, where the first national leaders debate will be hosted Thursday.

May, who first became the MP for Saanich–Gulf Islands in 2011, is running for a third term. “I feel good about my record, but know I could have done so much more with additional Greens elected,” she said.

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Current predictions give the Greens just under four seats, plus or minus three seats, hardly a wave, as some had previously predicted. This said, the environment will likely play an important role in the upcoming election.

Sabina Singh, who is running for the federal New Democrats against May, said she is excited the campaign has started in promising to make the environment a key point of her campaign.

“I don’t think there is any party in the world that cannot afford to be green,” she said.

Singh, in other words, might be trying to out-green the very face of the federal Green party. Singh, though, points out that she would be part of a larger team under federal leader Jagmeet Singh. Her party will also raise socio-economic issues, she said.

David Busch, who is running for the federal Conservatives, welcomes ‎the start of the campaign. While his party’s environmental platform is the “best one,” his campaign will take a different direction. “Our issues that we are stressing, are the same issues that people have been talking to me at the doors over this past year – specifically, health care and the cost of living,” he said.

The Peninsula News Review also reached out to federal Liberal candidate Ryan Windsor and Ron Broda of the People’s Party of Canada, who are also running in the Saanich–Gulf Islands riding.

Dates for local election debates are also firming up.

Central Saanich Community Association and Stelly’s Secondary School will host a federal all-candidates debate on Wednesday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m. with doors opening at 6:30 p.m.

Less than 24 hours later, the Saanich Peninsula Chamber of Commerce will host an all-candidates lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney. For more info, see here.

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wolfgang.depner@peninsulanewsreview.com

Saanich–Gulf Islands