Seminar Series
Tuesday, September 15 at 11:30 am
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY - BURNABY CAMPUS
Diamond Alumni Centre, Fraser Thompson room
Speaker: Keith Baldrey
Title:
Election 2015: Will the older voter continue to greatly influence the outcome?
Abstract:
Keith Baldrey, one of B.C.'s best known political commentators, will provide his insights into
the 2015 federal election campaign.
− What are expected to be the key issues?
− How are the parties expected to fare with the voters?
− How important are the political party leaders to the election outcome?
Keith will also focus on how political parties are becoming increasingly focused on the
demographics of the actual voting population, and how that focus translates into policies
contained in their platforms. This has translated, in the past, to an emphasis on courting older
and senior voters. Why? Because analysis of voting returns has shown that older people vote in
much greater numbers than younger people -- and accordingly, that is reflected in some
parties' policies. But will this hold true in this campaign?
As a journalist, Keith has spent more than 30 years covering both provincial and federal
election campaigns, and B.C. politics in particular. He joined The Vancouver Sun in 1984 (just in
time to cover that year's federal election campaign) and became its legislature bureau chief in
1989.
He moved over to television in 1995, becoming BCTV's (now Global) legislature bureau chief in
1995. He has been a regular commentator on CBC Radio, CKNW radio, a regular contributor to
BC Business Magazine, and has co-authored a book on B.C. politics. He also writes a syndicated
column for a number of weekly Metro Vancouver newspapers, including the North Shore News,
the Burnaby Now, the Tri-Cities Now and the Royal City Record.