Quote:
Originally Posted by s211
I hope this chat doesn't go less off the rails, but I think it's safe to say that BC is not as homogeneous as Alberta. The Lower Mainland and Victoria areas are quite different in mindset versus the rest of BC, the latter of which has more in common with Alberta. My $0.02, of course.
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Even within the Lower Mainland there are vast differences. Abbotsford is the Bible Belt of BC where only 15 to 20% of the population have no religious affiliation. By contrast, the most right-wing area of BC - the Peace -- is over 50% of the population without a religious affiliation. Same goes for the most left-wing ares of BC like downtown east side of Vancouver. The interior of BC and Vancouver Island are not very religious compared to the rest of Canada. The only exception is the area between Smithers and Prince George.
As for the old days of Reform, it's really quite interesting how well they did in BC, even areas that tend to vote NDP. That's because it wasn't really about right versus left, but rather western alienation.
For example, the North Coast riding was historically NDP, and then it went Reform, and then when the Reform/Alliance merged with the PCs, it went back to the NDP. That's because the Reform got huge numbers from the NDP, namely the union types who like regionalism issues. Once the party became more of an old school national party again, they were no longer interested in the right-wing choice, so they voted for Nathan Cullen.