Interrupting, talking over each other and trading jabs in an effort to gain an edge.
That summarizes the first debate of the election campaign hosted by CBC Wednesday night in Halifax.
Liberal Leader Iain Rankin and Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Houston went head-to-head over health care, often arguing and hard to understand.
“No one is saying there isn’t a problem in the health care system,” Rankin said.
Access to primary care emerged as a significant theme in the opening 30 minutes.
“There is a crisis in health care, 70,000 people don’t have a family doctor. Almost 400 people died waiting for surgery in Nova Scotia” Houston pointed out. “It’s going to take money to fix it. We will make the investments to fix it.”
“We had great success recruiting doctors prior to the pandemic because we know the model of delivering health care has changed. Doctors used to have 5,000 patients.” Rankin fired back. “That is why there are up to 80 doctors waiting to come to Nova Scotia.”
Meantime, NDP Leader Gary Burrill says another main issue is inadequate staffing levels in hospitals and long-term care facilities.
“Workers are doing lifts [of patients] when they shouldn’t be and getting hurt as a result.” Burrill said.
He also fought against the closure of hospitals in rural areas due to staffing shortages and chronic temporary ER shutdowns.
“Many other jurisdictions are using the role of doctor assistants to extend the physicians that we have to serve the population we are trying to serve. We don’t do that in Nova Scotia but it’s core to the model of care in the Canadian Armed Forces.
The debate was broken into five sections which focused on health care, the economy, diversity and inclusion and the environment.
The Green Party spent part of the evening protesting outside the public broadcasters building in Halifax over the fact they weren’t invited to participate in the leader’s forum (the Atlantica Party did not have representation either).
Election day is August 17.
Here is a full schedule of where the leaders will be on Thursday, July 29:
NDP Leader Gary Burrill:
- Event: Media Availability (Policy announcement with Hammonds Plains-Lucasville NDP candidate Angela Downey.)
- Time: 9:30 AM
- Location: Wallace Lucas Community Centre, Lucasville
- Event: Media Availability (Policy announcement with Lunenburg NDP candidate Alison Smith.)
- Time: 2 p.m.
- Location: Pijinuiskaq Park, Bridgewater.
PC Leader Tim Houston:
- Event: Media availability
- Time: 10:00 a.m.
- Location: 1660 Hollis Street, Halifax
- Campaigning with John Wesley-Chisholm, PC candidate for Halifax Chebucto
- Time: 10: 45 a.m.
- Campaigning with Kent Smith, PC candidate for Eastern Shore
- Time: 1:00 p.m.
Liberal Leader Iain Rankin:
- Event: Long-term care announcement
- Time: 9:30 a.m.
- Location: Shoreham Village, Chester
- Event: Tour of the South Shore
- Time: 11 a.m.
- Location: Lunenburg, Lunenburg West, Queens, Shelburne & Bridgewater
