There are a number of interesting variables when discussing the events surrounding the federal election with a British Columbia flavor. The season of fall is approaching us as the October 14th election is providing perhaps a dry run for the May provincial encounter, along with its inside battles.

In Skeena-Bulkley the stage is being set with the Nathan Cullen – Sharon Smith federal tussle, although significant in itself , shaping as a practice for the Liberal- NDP encounter in May 2009. Smith the Harper conservative is also a Gordon Campbell Liberal who alternate names but maintain the same policy. In this region the stakes are very high as the provincial election sets the stage for a tussle that includes the prize of the newly reconfigured Bulkley Valley- Stekine riding, that lacks a incumbent.

The current MLA Dennis Mackay has served the electorate for the past two Campbell terms, failing to attain a cabinet post.The degree of political efficacy that our MLA has in Victoria is a bone of contention with one un-named insider claiming that MacKay never really had ” his head into it for the past few years” Mackay is and has been very abled but shunned on by the Campbell regime which failed to appoint anybody from the northwest region in the second term cabinet. By contrast the NDP under three previous premiers had up to two cabinet members at a time and including a acting premier and forest Minister Dan Miller.

It is from that backdrop that the NDP feel that they have a shot of reclaiming the Smithers region provincially, while re-electing its star federal MP Nathan Cullen. In the federal encounter the battle is long and arduous as many campaign workers have had to by-pass the provincial campaign nomination process in order to re-elect Cullen.

Shelly Browne is one such worker who in addition to working as an constituency assistant to Cullen. Has to put in longer hours in this heated campaign , which also hinders her ambition to win the NDP nomination if the provincial battle. Such is the case in many BC races where the federal cause has sidetracked the preparation for the provincial election.

On another front the Smith- Cullen encounter has shaped up into more of a mirror image of the US election as Smith has, as of Tuesday the 22 of September, refused to engage in a all candidates meeting in Smithers and at least two other locales. Whether this is posturing on her camp or a deliberate snub on the democratic process it is unknown. It appears though that Harper is putting a little more emphasis in this riding as another notch towards that illusive conservative majority. The battle between the strong MP and the party machine continues.