Candidates answer to a full house in Merigomish

MERIGOMISH, N.S. — Boat Harbour, climate change and rural economic development. Central Nova riding candidates tackled it all at a recent question-and-answer forum.

All six candidates spoke to a full house at the Merigomish Schoolhouse Market and Cafe, Oct. 9.

On economic development and job creation, Liberal incumbent Sean Fraser touted Liberal funding for infrastructure projects like the twinning of Highway 104, Boat Harbour cleanup, funding for the Stellarton NSCC’s skilled trades wing, and the potential for new jobs in the region coming out of the newly minted Zenabis facility in Stellarton.

Conservative candidate George Canyon spoke of a need to increase funding for small businesses and the need to foster job growth in areas that are attractive to young workers.

Barry Randle, candidate for the Greens, spoke of the urgent need to de-carbonize the region’s economy, moving away from coal and oil for power and emphasized new job opportunities that the Green economy would create.

Likewise, Betsy MacDonald of the NDP, committed to investments in the Green economy, boosting the NDP’s plan which she says would create 300,000 green jobs. Both MacDonald and Randle highlighted the need to support workers during the transition. MacDonald also spoke about the need to support Nova Scotia’s creative economy, saying “creative talent is one of our greatest natural resources here in Nova Scotia and we need to invest in their economy.”

Al Muir criticized the successive Liberal and Conservative governments for not twinning Highway 104 far enough.

“That road should have been extended all the way to Cape Breton,” he said. He also said he would want to secure regional oil production in Cape Breton and supported construction for an oil refinery in Cape Breton Regional Municipality.

Chris Frazer, of the Communist Party, doubled down on wealth inequality, and his call for the public ownership of Nova Scotia Power earned a round of applause from the audience.

He also said he would support publicly owned bus and rail transportation throughout the province.

The evening’s tone was civil and respectful. The only out-ofturn exchange came during the prepared question on Boat Harbour, when Elizabeth Rowley, leader of the Communist Party and an audience member, challenged Canyon.

Canyon said more communication is needed between affected fishermen, forestry and the people of Pictou Landing First Nation, and repeated that the decision to offer an extension to the Jan. 31, 2020, closure date for Northern Pulp is now in the hands of Nova Scotia’s premier Stephen McNeil.

“Yes, but what is your position?” asked Rowley. Canyon replied, “I just told you.”

Later, during the formal audience question period, the candidates were each asked whether they would give an extension if the decision was theirs to make.

Fraser, Canyon and Muir all said they would only consider an extension with the consent of Pictou Landing First Nation. Randle, MacDonald and Frazer all said they would not grant an extension.

On the climate crisis, all six candidates seemed to at least accept the scientific consensus that it does, in fact, exist. Fraser defended the Liberal carbon tax from candidates’ criticisms that it punishes people and not polluters.

“It is not free to pollute anywhere in Canada, anymore,” he said. He also lauded the Liberals’ commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050, a recent announcement to plant two billion trees, which would act as a natural reservoir for carbon that would continue to be released into the atmosphere as a result of current emissions largely produced by fossil fuel industries.

Randle also supported a massive tree-planting project and the plan for carbon neutrality by 2050, but still criticized the Liberals for its $4.5-billion purchase of the Trans-Mountain Pipeline in May 2018.

“What we propose to do is declare a climate emergency and actually mean it, not approve a pipeline the next day.”