Emotions run high in final days before provincial election
Last Updated: Saturday, May 9, 2009 | 2:34 PM PT
CBC News
Tempers flared and emotions ran high Saturday as B.C.'s provincial party leaders campaigned hard in the last few days before B.C.'s provincial election on May 12.
NDP Leader Carole James rallied New Democrats in several critical ridings in B.C.'s southern Interior on Saturday.
James received a warm welcome when she headed out to shake hands at a farmer's market in Kamloops.
James attended a rally with two candidates, Charlie Wyse from Cariboo-Chilcotin and Harry Lali from Fraser-Nicola – where some supporters made their opposition to the B.C. Liberal Party known.
During his speech, Lali twice said: "Gordon Campbell must be stopped."
One person attending the rally shouted, "Take him out," while another yelled, "Shoot him."
Later, Lali told reporters he didn't hear the remarks, but said they were absolutely inappropriate.
"Obviously people's emotions get high, but there's no place in society for the kind of remarks you're talking about," he said.
But Lali added people in rural B.C. are angry because they feel abandoned by Campbell.
Remarks unacceptable: Campbell
B.C. Liberal Leader Gordon Campbell said comments involving violence directed at him are uncalled for.
"People can sometimes get carried away. That's obviously carried away," Campbell said.
"I think that you know when you have a campaign that's based on attack, some of your followers feel that can do whatever they want. That's obviously not acceptable to me, it wouldn't be acceptable to Ms James or anybody else, I don't think."
Campbell was campaigning on northern Vancouver Island Saturday.
Hundreds of Liberal supporters cheered as Campbell stepped off the bus in the forestry-dependent community of Campbell River.
The leader told supporters he intends to take back the seats currently held by the NDP.
Campbell's message was clear – in a region that depends on forestry, the only way to secure jobs is by voting Liberal.
He continued to make the claim that voting for the B.C. New Democratic Party endangers jobs during the current recession.
It was one of two stops for the Liberal leader on Vancouver Island.
He was also headed to Courtenay, where the Liberal party is looking to clinch the Comox Valley riding. The seat has been vacant since Liberal Stan Hagen died of a heart attack in January.
