‘It’s close’: Political scientist looks at final week of election race

It’s getting down to the wire.

With one week to go until the Sept. 20 federal election, what the outcome could look like remains a mystery.

Political scientist and former Regina University MLA Tina Beaudry-Mellor says everything is up in the air.

“Elections can be decided by whether people stay home and sometimes it’s the government that loses and not necessarily that a party wins,” Beaudry-Mellor said on Monday’s Greg Morgan Morning Show.

“It’s really critical that people get out to vote, especially considering how close this election is.”

Multiple polls over the last week have showed a neck-and-neck race between the Liberal and Conservative parties.

Beaudry-Mellor says depending on where politicians go throughout the week, a lot could change.

“You’re going to see a lot of battlegrounds in B.C. and a lot in southern Ontario,” she said. “Where the leaders will go is a bit of an indicator of where they think they can grab seats.

“There were 10 very, very close races in the last election, nine of which were won by the Liberals. They not only have to hang on to those nine to 10, but they have to also pick up new ones.”

After opening Friday, advance polls will close Monday at 9 p.m. The final opportunity to cast a vote in person will be election day.

“I’m not sure how many people are actually paying attention, but the advance polls and the mail-in polls are really critical,” Beaudry-Mellor said.

As of Monday morning, most polls are showing Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party with a slight lead over Erin O’Toole and the Conservatives.