Elections Nova Scotia returning office sign. Photo: Jack Morse
The Liberals
Liberal Leader Iain Rankin unveiled the third portion of his parties platform today which they are calling “The skills today for the jobs of tomorrow,”.
Rankin unveiled it at an announcement in Sydney this morning.
The Liberals say the centrepiece of the plan is strategic $78 million investment over four years in the Nova Scotia
Community College (NSCC) to train, educate, and connect Nova Scotians to good, middle-class jobs.
That investment will will result in 800 new seats for programs like residential construction trades,environmental stewardship, and health disciplines. Of those new seats one third will be at the Macaroni NSCC campus in Sydney.
“Nova Scotians’ worked hard to defeat COVID-19, and they’re ready for a new chapter,”said Rankin. “The fourth industrial revolution is already here, and we need to be on the crest of the wave. If we make smart investments, if we provide the right
opportunities, we can empower Nova Scotians and build an economy that is prosperous and inclusive.”
Rankin made the announcement at the end of a Cape Breton swing of his campaign that saw him visit multiple constituencies around the island.
The New Democratic Party
The NDP didn’t make any major platform announcements on what was Nova Scotia’s first ever official Emancipation Day, instead choosing to use the day to reflect on history and reiterate their commitments to pushing forward for racial equality.
August 1 was was officially recognized by the province this year as Emancipation Day which marks the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 which outlawed the practice in all British colonies.
In a release the NDP highlighted some of the ways they plan to tackle racial injustice in the province.
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Addressing racism in policing by implementing all recommendations made in the Wortley Report.
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Implementing a community-based strategy for collecting race-based demographic data in health care, education and corrections.
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Continuing to accelerate access to land titles for African Nova Scotian people.
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Creating a “Local Action on Racism Fund” for municipalities to access funding for initiatives to combat racism in their communities.
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Actively encouraging conversations about reparations for African Nova Scotian communities.
- Systematically addressing instances of environmental racism across the province.
The Progressive Conservatives
The PC party took a similar approach to campaigning on Emancipation Day, opting for no major announcements instead focusing on their history of policies to improve racial equality.
In a release sent out by their campaign office they highlighted some of the biggest things they’ve done to improve equality.
- Premier Robert Stanfield introduced The Fair Accommodations Act in 1959 and established The Nova Scotian Human Rights Commission in 1963.
- In 1981 Premier John Buchanan declared December 10th as Human Rights Day in Nova Scotia, and appointed the first African Nova Scotian judge in the province’s history.
- Under Premier Donald Cameron, the terms of reference of the Electoral Boundaries Commission were updated to require minority representation in 1991.
- In 2003, Premier John Hamm made national history by establishing the Office of African Nova Scotian Affairs, the first of its kind in Canada.
PC leader Tim Houston also plans to attend the Emancipation Day celebration in Halifax tonight at Grand Parade Square.
