The woman pushing a baby stroller on Vancouver's seawall wants to talk about housing, and B.C. NDP candidate Morgane Oger is happy to oblige.

"I'm 42 years old with a 2½-year-old, and there's no way I can purchase a home," says the woman, repeating what Oger calls a resounding theme in the downtown riding of Vancouver-False Creek.

Oger reminds the voter of her party's campaign pledge to offer a $500 rebate to renters and the woman leaves happy.

For a transgender candidate in the midst of what could turn out to be a history-making effort, Oger says it's how people feel the parties will handle bread and butter issues, such as housing, that will determine the winner.

Her identity as a transgender woman, she says, is a non-issue.

"The reality is, in this constituency, nobody cares that I am transgender," says Oger.

"I have a very good reputation for sorting out problems," she says, referring to her recent fight to save 12 Vancouver schools from closing.

The mother of two was chair of the district parent advisory council, a group that represents some 50,000 area students.

"I'm a recognized human rights activist," says Oger.

"People understand that I understand inequality and bias. And people understand that if I understand it for trans issues, I can talk about it for their issues."

Oger, 49, won the NDP nomination after a tough fight, earning the right to face the B.C. Liberal incumbent and former Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan in the May 9 election