HALIFAX – Halifax saw its first federal leader of the election campaign on Sunday.
NDP leader Thomas Mulcair appeared at a rally at the World Trade and Convention Centre speaking before a crowd of approximately 1,000 people.
Mulcair touched upon national issues such as childcare, seniors and small business. But he also appealed directly to issues of concern to Haligonians.
“As prime minister, I will get the economy going with investments in infrastructure and transit that will create local jobs right here in Halifax,” Mulcair said to applause.
“We have a plan that invests in promoting Canada as a tourism destination to key U.S. markets to support jobs and opportunity right here in Halifax. We want to build on the great tourism year Nova Scotia has been having in 2015 so things are even better in 2016.”
Previous election and poll numbers
The NDP have a tight grip on the Halifax riding. Results from the 2011 federal election show the NDP garnered 51.6 per cent of the vote while the Liberals received 25.6 per cent, the Conservatives received 18 per cent and the Green Party received 4.4 per cent.
An Aug. 28 poll conducted for Global News by Ipsos Reid shows that the NDP are leading nationally but it is a different story in Atlantic Canada.
Forty-six per cent of voters support the Liberals while 35 per cent back the NDP, 17 per cent support the Conservatives and one per cent would cast a ballot for the Green Party.
Other candidates respond to Mulcair rally
Andy Fillmore, the Liberal candidate for the Halifax riding, spoke to Global News after the rally said the time is ripe for change.
“Change in things like investment infrastructure, in transit, in housing, in fixing the very badly broken federal transfer payment formula to allow us to give better care for seniors, better healthcare. These are issues that have been overlooked by our current representation in Parliament for many years,” he said.
Thomas Trappenberg, the Green Party candidate in Halifax, said the party wants to draw attention to issues that seem to be on the backburner.
“We have a lot of resources here. We have people here. We have land. We have wind. We have ocean,” he said.
“There are a lot of things that are really not used. Instead we are subsidizing oil in Alberta and I don’t think this is good for Nova Scotia.”
Trappenberg said the environment affects sectors such as healthcare and job creation.
Irvine Carvery, the Conservative candidate in Halifax, said Haligonians only need to look around to know why they should cast a vote for the party.
“What have we already done in terms of the shipbuilding contract? We see all the cranes in the air. That’s all federal investment through our economic plan. We are not making promises,” he said. “We’ve already delivered.”
Carvery said he is not concerned about the Ipsos poll, adding that the only poll that matters is the one on election day.
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