From Okotoks to Vaudreuil to Corner Brook, here's Canada through the eye of voters

Housing successful Vancouver, wellness attraction successful Nova Scotia, jobs successful Alberta?

Not quite. When it comes to the large issues driving the fashionable vote, that's mode excessively simple. 

Yet determination are fascinating trends that look crossed the state erstwhile a idiosyncratic stops to chat. And that's what CBC News did during this campaign.

• What contented matters the astir to you this national election, and why? Share your idiosyncratic stories with america astatine [email protected].

Journalists carved retired an other hr oregon time present and determination to walk much clip conscionable talking with Canadians to recognize the backstory to their ballot — what truly matters to them. 

We've been sharing these stories crossed our shows, and together, we learned a batch astir Canada. 

So arsenic the predetermination run wraps up, we took the accidental to look backmost and circuit Canada again done the eyes of voters, with a spot of statistical assistance to cheque our assumptions.

The information successful this communicative comes from Pollara. In a bid of polls passim the campaign, the institution asked voters what issues they'll basal their ballot on. We've combined those polls to get a larger illustration size, astir 5,500 Canadians who responded done online panels and telephone interviews betwixt March 24 and April 21.

We besides tapped Andrew Enns, vice-president of the polling institution Leger, to locomotion done determination differences successful the numbers.

Housing, addiction and outgo of surviving are apical issues successful B.C. 

In a state wherever softwood lumber is simply a large industry, tariffs were a large concern, arsenic they are passim Canada. 

But 1 determination quality was that crime, homelessness and cause usage besides came up successful B.C. frequently, and from voters with antithetic perspectives connected however to lick the issues. It's having a polarizing effect connected voters, said Enns.

At her barbershop successful Kamloops, Deanna DeCicco enactment retired her sandwich committee motion and idiosyncratic kicked a spread successful it. That's the benignant of upset she sees arsenic fuelled by cause usage and untreated intelligence illness.

"We, daily, person radical screaming, unfastened cause use," she said, hoping for a alteration successful authorities and a enactment that volition instrumentality connected these issues much aggressively.

In Vancouver, Trevor Jang is 3 years drug-free aft a 15-year conflict to get there. He said he's looking to perceive a program to enactment radical done addiction.

When CBC journalists deed the streets successful Langley, Surrey and connected Vancouver Island successful places specified arsenic Parksville, radical besides spoke astir concerns specified arsenic keeping up with colonisation growth. Housing is simply a premier illustration — immoderate voters accidental it's conscionable excessively hard to find what radical request astatine a terms they tin afford.

"At slightest erstwhile a week, I outcry successful the bureau due to the fact that I perceive a communicative that conscionable breaks my heart," said Louise Taylor, who tries to assistance seniors find places to unrecorded successful White Rock and South Surrey. 

"It conscionable shouldn't beryllium happening. We request much enactment from our government."

So however volition that find who B.C. voters volition elite connected Monday? CBC's canvass tracker has the spot projections for the Liberals and Conservatives overlapping. The NDP are trailing, and the canvass tracker questions if the Greens volition clasp connected to their seat. 

Voters successful the North emblem housing, infrastructure arsenic issues

Tariffs, infrastructure and lodging came up repeatedly erstwhile CBC checked successful with voters crossed Canada's bluish territories.

Housing due to the fact that it's aging and determination isn't capable of it, said Merven Gruben, proprietor of E Gruben's Transport successful Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T. "There's astir apt five, six, 10 radical successful immoderate houses that are 50 oregon 60 years aged and getting condemned." 

"We ever person a lodging problem. I'd similar to spot that fixed," said John Semple successful Haines Junction, a colony adjacent Kluane National Park successful the Yukon. 

Housing and warring U.S. President Donald Trump connected the tariffs are his cardinal issues, said Semple, who is voting Liberal.

Another taxable successful the North this predetermination has been astir infrastructure. Both Liberal and Conservatives committedness concern successful bluish subject bases and aboriginal informing surveillance plans. Some voters wondered if improved airports and lodging would beryllium designed to besides payment the existing community. 

Cost of surviving concerns showed up here, peculiarly with heating substance and groceries. When CBC journalists acceptable up a speakers' country successful downtown Whitehorse, they heard from residents looking for a person to supply economical stability, and besides enactment for those struggling with addiction.

Peter Eigeard was leaving a section weapon store with a caller hunting rifle. He wanted the Conservatives to triumph and make different markets for Canada's earthy resources. 

"Oil and state and mining … we're excessively reliant connected the United States," helium said. "And chopped retired immoderate of the brainsick spending."

As for however that shapes the vote, little polling gets done successful Canada's North. The portion has 3 seats, and truthful far, CBC's canvass tracker suggests the Liberals person a beardown lead.

Jobs, system and outgo of surviving signifier Prairies vote

In the Prairie provinces — Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba — ostentation on with the outgo of surviving was the biggest issue we heard about, adjacent much than the U.S. tariffs. Or astatine least, erstwhile radical mentioned tariffs, it was often successful the discourse of the system and occupation loss.

When taxes came up, voters were often looking for a mode to trim them to marque beingness much affordable. Twenty to 25 per cent of radical flagged taxes arsenic a cardinal issue.

Melissa Au successful Okotoks, Alta., is simply a health-care idiosyncratic who said she has started to thrust for Uber connected the broadside truthful she tin support paying for her kids to play hockey. And Ricky Gill, a 23-year-old who was installing siding connected caller homes successful Calgary's northeast, said ostentation is the crushed wherefore he's voting.

"I'm going to ballot due to the fact that the system sucks. Inflation's up, similar 200 per cent," said Gill. He plans to ballot Conservative. 

In Edmonton, CBC reporters hung retired astatine a motortruck halt and heard tariffs were already impacting transportation jobs. They went to adjacent Fort Saskatchewan and heard some a tendency for much pipelines and for biology protection. In Regina, CBC reporters went to a workplace amusement and heard however Chinese tariffs are already impacting canola prices.

The Conservatives were often talked astir successful presumption of giving hope.

"If the Liberals get in, I think, what's gonna hap here? Western Canada is going to separate," said Elsie Jensen, who blames the Liberals for economical challenges and was precise upset astatine the narrowing successful the polls. 

But concerns for societal services are besides here. Health attraction is simply a large interest successful Manitoba and Saskatchewan, wherever 38 per cent of voters emblem it arsenic an contented shaping their vote. 

"Health attraction is our apical priority, possibly due to the fact that of our age," said Mona Sedleski, a elector successful her 80s who was lasting extracurricular a market store with her hubby successful Winnipeg. "He was successful the infirmary [and] sat 13 hours successful a seat astir 3 weeks ago. It's inhumane."

She wants health-care transfers to beryllium increased, and plans to ballot NDP to antagonistic the Conservatives.

In CBC's canvass tracker, the Conservatives are starring successful each 3 provinces. The Liberals person a accidental successful astir a 4th of the region's seats.

Ontario ballot shaped by the symptom of tariffs, inflation

The interaction of Trump's tariffs feels contiguous successful immoderate parts of Ontario, wherever section economies trust heavy connected the car industry. Those tariffs came up a batch successful confederate Ontario arsenic CBC journalists stopped by a farmers' market extracurricular Kitchener-Waterloo and talked to radical connected the street.

But outgo of surviving is besides a large concern. Windsor nonmigratory and archetypal clip elector Lorrhea Marion works astatine a sushi restaurant. 

"Honestly, it's been benignant of hard," she said. "I went to Toronto for schoolhouse and past I moved backmost location conscionable due to the fact that it's truly expensive."

She's besides acrophobic astir immigration, which has been little talked astir this run but is inactive important for many. In Ontario, 15 per cent of respondents ranked immigration/refugees arsenic a apical contented successful Pollara polls.

"I americium a idiosyncratic of colour. I'm Filipino, my mom's an immigrant. So seeing these things, it's precise scary and upsetting. Immigrants are precise bully for the economy," she said.

In bluish Ontario, CBC journalists spent clip connected Manitoulin Island with the Wiikwemkoong First Nation, wherever assemblage members flagged the request to support focusing connected reconciliation, enactment for intelligence wellness and connected welcoming Indigenous perspectives to collectively physique a beardown economy.

In Toronto and the GTA, voters person been told their votes mightiness determine this election. But immoderate are unsure if they'll ballot oregon not.

"I should.… I'm having a hard clip [deciding] for who," said Daniel Occhiuto, a elector successful 1 of the ridings with historically the lowest elector turnout. He said radical get discouraged erstwhile they ballot and it doesn't look similar it makes a difference.

Around Ottawa, the CBC's Hallie Cotnam spoke with fans astatine a hockey game, wherever Connor Bailey said the Conservative's "Axe The Tax" slogan resonated for him. 

Cotnam deed the roadworthy to speech with concern owners astir Garrison Petawawa, wherever the committedness of accrued defence spending could boost the economy, and visited a motortruck halt adjacent the Canada-U.S. border.

There, Surafel Demessie said helium believes the Liberal person is amended to grip Trump, who tin annex Canada "over our dormant body."

CBC's canvass tracker has the Liberals with a beardown pb successful Ontario, but the Conservatives are besides expected to bash good successful immoderate areas.

Quebec stares down Trump arsenic a taste threat

Trump's tariff threats are connected voters' minds successful Quebec, adjacent much than affordability and inflation. 

But the interest has a antithetic flavour betwixt Quebec and the Prairie provinces, for example. That's what Leger pollster Andrew Enns sees erstwhile helium compares answers connected what issues are important, to however acrophobic voters are astir the economical interaction of tariffs and occupation loss.

"For Quebecers, it was truly a taste threat," Enns said.

CBC News acceptable up for the time astatine the Cafexo Boutique successful Vaudreuil, extracurricular Montreal. Many voters were focused connected which enactment is champion positioned to support Canada, an contented that seems to person eaten distant astatine enactment for the Bloc Quebecois. 

"With Trump … helium has a batch of power, and not knowing what is going to hap is benignant of scary," said assemblage pupil Julianne Fortin, who studied successful Florida and hadn't decided who to ballot for arsenic of past week. 

But countering Trump is key.

"We're truly fortunate with what we person present and we don't privation idiosyncratic to instrumentality that distant from us," she said.

In the occidental portion of the province, successful Outaouais, voters told CBC journalists the issues with Trump are truthful important they overshadow the information Liberal Leader Mark Carney struggles with his French. And successful bluish Quebec, voters looked for national enactment to combat unit and enactment those struggling with addiction. 

Quebec is besides a portion wherever immoderate voters accidental not capable attraction has been paid to the environment. Twelve per cent of Quebec residents flagged protecting the situation oregon clime alteration arsenic a cardinal contented deciding their vote.

Other issues that were truly important for a comparatively smaller radical of voters nationally were Israel/Gaza astatine 2 per cent, the Russia/Ukraine warfare astatine 2 per cent and corruption/government morals astatine six per cent.

The CBC's canvass tracker is predicting the Liberals volition triumph the astir seats successful Quebec, with the Bloc and Conservatives following.

Atlantic provinces: Tariffs and doc shortage basal out

Heath attraction shows up arsenic a apical precedence much often successful the Atlantic provinces than anyplace else. 

"We moved down present 3 to 4 years agone and we're inactive connected a waiting list," said Steve White, who phoned the Maritime Noon call-in amusement from Bridgewater, N.S. 

"Trying to spot a doc successful a walk-in clinic, they person a call-in connected Monday, and successful fractional an hour, each the positions are booked."

He sees a regulatory and grooming relation for the national government.

CBC's The Signal asked parents successful Newfoundland and Labrador for their take, and the authorities of the system had galore worried.

"Are our kids going to beryllium amended disconnected than we are, than we were? I'm not truthful definite that's wholly clear," said Luke Quinton. 

"There's the outgo of surviving crisis, lodging crisis. I spot tuition rates rising. I spot a pulling backmost from bully paying jobs with pensions. I deliberation this question is inactive up successful the air, and this is an important predetermination to deliberation astir those things."

Tariffs are besides a cardinal contented here, successful a portion that's heavy babelike connected American commercialized with seafood and different exports to the U.S. Tariffs play into concerns astir the outgo of living, but also, Trump's comments got radical upset. That has them looking for a beardown leader.

Yeukai Katanda successful Corner Brook, N.L., said, "I conscionable consciousness similar we're being bullied and for maine it's conscionable a rule of no, let's basal up to a bully."

So however is that shaping the vote?

Atlantic Canada has been a Liberal stronghold, and CBC's canvass tracker has the Liberal Party acold up of the Conservatives successful presumption of projected spot count. The Conservatives are predicted to triumph betwixt 5 and 7 retired of 32 seats.

Read much astir what matters to Canadians this predetermination astatine cbc.ca/whatmatters, and work idiosyncratic stories of the ballot written by Canadians in our First Person series.