Vancouver South expected to be key battleground in federal election

Note:

This is the first article in a five-part series as Yahoo! Canada News looks at key ridings across the country in the 2011 federal election.

High-profile Liberal candidate Ujjal Dosanjh is in the fight of his political life again in one of the most hotly contested ridings in Canada - Vancouver South.

In British Columbia, politicos and pundits are closely watching the battle as Dosanjh takes on Conservative candidate Wai Young for the second time.

In the 2008 election, Dosanjh, the former B.C. premier and federal health minister, defeated Young by a mere 20 votes. The margin of victory was the second-smallest in the country.

In a National Post column, Dosanjh said this time around he has a number of factors in his favour, stating in the last election the carbon tax issue was an 'albatross' and there were "leadership challenges" the party faced under former leader Stéphane Dion.

In a recent interview with Vancouver's News1130, he said he's fighting this election like he's the underdog.

"I'm fighting hard and I'm ready to fight," said Dosanjh. "I've been fighting for the last two and a half years actually. I've been back to Vancouver from Ottawa every weekend, so that I can be in the communities here."

For her part, the Hong Kong born Young is banking on the Chinese-Canadian vote to put her over the top.

More than 40 per cent of the voters in her riding are of Chinese descent. She'll be buoyed in her efforts by the Conservative 'ethnic' campaign which has identified Vancouver South as one of its targeted "very-ethnic ridings."

On Wednesday, for example, Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced a new "skills upgrading" loan program for foreign-trained professionals while standing next to Young in Vancouver.

Also in Young's favour is the fact that until the Progressive Conservative Party collapse of 1993, Vancouver South had been a Tory stronghold.

The wild-card in this riding is the new NDP candidate Meena Wong. Wong, also of Chinese descent, could affect the race by stealing votes away from either Dosanjh or Young.

The other race to watch in B.C. is in the suburban Vancouver riding of Burnaby-Douglas.

In the last election, the NDP's Bill Siskay beat Conservative Ronald Leung by only 789 votes. The popular Siskay has now been replaced by public policy professor Kennedy Stewart.

While this riding has historically gone to the NDP, Leung's strong performance in the 2008 vote, changing demographics in the riding and the Conservatives' 'very ethnic' targeting have some pundits suggesting this is Leung's race to lose.

(CP Photo)