Political experts working overtime ahead of the federal election
Posted October 11, 2015 7:47 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Candidates vying for your vote aren’t the only ones who have been working overtime.
Political Science Professor at the University of the Fraser Valley Hamish Telford says it’s like being on-call 24-7. “I have had to PVR some of the debates because I couldn’t watch them live. I was anticipating getting calls about them so I would have to come home later at night and watch the debate and be ready for any calls that I might get.”
“The greatest amount of time is following the campaign. I would have done that in any case but I have had to do that more closely than I would have otherwise,” he adds.
Conservative strategist Alise Mills says the frenetic pace is no different for party loyalists who are often asked to speak to the media. “Most people are dealing with flu; most people are dealing with absolute fatigue and just not enough rest.”
She says everything was considered. “We hadn’t done an eleven week campaign in modern history so did we need to look at shift work?”
Mills notes most parties have at least three pundits ready and willing to make their pitch at any given moment.
It has been a gruelling campaign for candidates, but what about the people asked to cut through the rhetoric? Political experts explain their schedules as we approach the big day.
