Thankfully, the federal election campaign is almost over.

It is an election few people wanted. It is an election few people are paying a lot of attention to. They are far more focused on the economy, particularly since there have been so many negative things happening on an almost-daily basis since Prime Minister Stephen Harper called the election on Aug. 31.

Here in Surrey, Delta and White Rock, there are four federal seats. The only incumbent MP who is likely to have an easy ride is Russ Hiebert in South Surrey-White Rock-Cloverdale. That seat has been solidly Conservative, Reform or Canadian Alliance since 1974.

One of the more fascinating things about the waning days of this election campaign is that support for the Conservatives seems to be holding firm in B.C., even as it falls in some other parts of Canada. The national campaign and poll numbers are important, as many people vote based on the party and pay little heed to the local candidate.

The Conservatives have benefitted from the fact the B.C. economy is healthier than that of central Canada, and from the provincial Liberals’ carbon tax. Because the federal Liberals and Greens want to impose a carbon tax, that has driven the majority of people who oppose the provincial tax over to either the Conservatives or NDP – both of whom oppose carbon taxes.

Because Conservative support has stayed strong, it will likely help incumbent MP Nina Grewal retain her seat in Fleetwood-Port Kells. It will be a close race (she only won by 828 votes in 2006), and NDP Nao Fernando and Liberal Brenda Locke – a very capable candidate who served in the B.C. legislature – will be closely in the running.

In Newton-North Delta, incumbent Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal will be swimming against the tide to hold his seat.

He has strong support within the Indo-Canadian community – key to winning this seat. He has also been a high-profile MP and is well-liked and respected The race will be close with Conservative Sandeep Pandher and NDP Teresa Townsley in contention.

Surrey-North has received the most attention, both within and outside Surrey, with the shadow of Conservative candidate Dona Cadman’s late husband Chuck cast over the campaign.

Dona Cadman has given interviews to local media, but has been shielded from from the national media. She has done little informal campaigning.

Because the seat is open, and because of the Cadman name, she has a good chance at winning. But the publicity may not help her.

She is being challenged by Liberal Marc Muhammad and NDP Rachid Arab, who is seeking to hold the seat for the NDP. Penny Priddy won it for the party in 2006.

The Green party is the wild card. The party is doing well in both national and B.C. polls, but it will be interesting to see if the level of support holds in the one poll that matters – on election day.

Greens in the four Surrey seats are likely to be spoilers and not much more. They may keep one candidate from winning, or help another to win.

Be sure to get out and vote on Tuesday. Your vote does make a difference.