Welcome to the Wild West of Canadian politics.

Things are just different in British Columbia. There are no limits on campaign donations and the party affiliations don't always mirror those in the rest of the country.

A Liberal in B.C. could don Conservative blue in Ottawa and a Green Party member could cast a ballot for the federal Liberals.

In just a few days, British Columbians will choose their next provincial government in an election with national implications. The province has been a canary in the coal mind on a number of issues including the economy, housing affordability, energy projects and the opioid crisis. 

This week CBC Radio's The House travelled west to get a better sense of how having incumbent Liberal Christy Clark or hopefuls John Horgan, the NDP leader, and Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver, in charge could impact Justin Trudeau's federal Liberals.

The economy and affordability 

The provincial Liberals and the NDP are locked in a tight race in B.C.

The Liberals are putting a 16-year dynasty on the line, and Clark is vying for a second term as premier. If successful she'd be the first female first minister in Canadian history to do so.

Meanwhile, the NDP and Greens are running on change.

On her campaign bus, Clark stood by what's become her calling card in this election: the most successful economy in the country. 

"I think people don't feel warmly about politicians in general... but I think what people will ask themselves when they go to the polls on Tuesday, or the advanced polls any time this week, is who is going to do the best job of fighting for British Columbia in the face of rising U.S. protectionism? Who is going to make sure my taxes stay low and who is going to create jobs? When you look at the record we've got for my first term as premier, we've worked really hard to improve people's lives," she said.

"A lot of time people do want change, but I think people are smart and they also say what kind of change am I going to get?"

When it comes to living affordability, "we need to build on the work we've already done," she said.

"The next step for our future government is improving supply, to work with cities, grow the amount of rental housing that is out there, and then just grow the amount of housing overall for people that want to purchase so you don't get into these massive, ugly bidding wars where everything goes for way more than it's worth because so many people want it," she said.