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NS Politics Potpourri
May 26, 2011 - 8:29am
Several members of the Liberal riding association in Cape Breton North have resigned after Liberal Leader Stephen McNeil decided to hand-pick a candidate to run in the byelection next month.
The seat became vacant when Progressive Conservative MLA Cecil Clarke resigned in an unsuccessful bid to unseat Liberal MP Mark Eyking in last month's federal election.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2011/05/25/ns-cb-north-b...
I'm beginning to wonder if Stephen McNeil orchestrated this little stunt to try and help the Conservatives retain the seat, rather than the possibility of it going to the NDP, who finished just 164 votes behind Cecil Clarke in the 2009 provincial election.
PC - 3476, NDP - 3312, LIB. - 891, GR. - 100
With polling showing the Liberals still in third place in Atlantic Canada, McNeil probably is afraid that an NDP pick-up would slow any momentum they had gained when the Liberals took Yarmouth from the Tories in last year's by-election.
Stay tuned!
The Nova Scotia government says a confusing trail of tax and water bills in Bridgetown shows that a forensic audit is needed.
Municipal Relations Minister John MacDonell ordered the audit on Friday, three days after the entire town council resigned over the town's ongoing money problems.
Department staff have spent the last few days reviewing the town's financial records.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2011/06/03/ns-forensic-a...
Jack Layton is speaking today at the N.S. NDP's Annual General Meeting, at St. Mary's University.
The place will be packed, so I hope some YouTube videos will be forthcoming with highlights.
Check out the latest CRA poll for Nova Scotia. NDP support has surged by 8 points to 42% - back firmly in majority territory!
http://www.metronews.ca/halifax/blog/post/882309
Most pundits say that it's a two-way race between Conservative Eddie Orrill and New Democrat Russell MacDonald.
The polls have shown the NDP to be continuing to lead the province, so there is no great voter backlash against the ruling party at the mid-way point of their mandate.
As was the case in the 2001 by-election here, when the riding chose a Conservative over the vacating Liberals, voters could be looking to elect a member on the government side.
Local issues will be the deciding factor when it comes to voter turnout (at least the weather doesn't appear to be a factor!)
Stay tuned!
In the end it wasn't even close.
Cape Breton North By-election - Election Night Preliminary Resultsgeez, sure looks like few people voted in Northern Cape Breton. I don't understand why they would vote conservative considering that Cape Breton north would not be considered an area of people with money and in fact would be quite working class.
Essentially this was a hold. Not a giant surprise.
The results were bad news for the Liberals.
After taking the Yarmouth seat from the P.C.'s in a by-election last year, and poaching the former P.C. member for Colchester North, Karen Casey, failing to be a factor in this race shows that the Liberals aren't the only opposition to the governing New Democrats.
Now I've started hearing rumblings that long-time NDP M.L.A. Howard Epstein may be looking at running for Mayor of the Halifax Regional Municipality, since Peter Kelly has gotten into hot water over the money given to the promoters of those outdoor concerts that didn't draw the crowds they had thought they would.
Whoops! Double post!
Nova Scotians on social assistance will no longer be able to get medical marijuana, gym memberships or hot tubs as a special need.
The Department of Community Services is tightening the rules for its special needs funding.
Until now, some people on income assistance were able to force the department to pay for pot or massage therapy, for example, because the rules were vague about what qualified as a special need.
Between 20 and 25 people who already receive support will continue to get it.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2011/08/09/ns-medical-ma...The latest CRA poll:
http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/1261932.html
The NDP government announced reductions in funding across the provincial health districts today..in typical political fashion on a Friday afternoon, with up to 13-14 million dollars annually in one rural district alone. The unavoidable elimination of facilities, services and positions looms large, along with the accelerated privatization of long term care for the elderly.
Not only are the cutting the big health and education budgets. But it never even at least comes along with any long term stuff about spending what is left more judiciously, re-orientation- whatever. Just across the board cuts you could and would get from anyone.
I would bet they have a three year paln for the big cuts that everyone sees- the three year overall being the timeline before you start gearing for the next election.
Basic script and logic goes something like this:
** You cant cut both education and health at once, the outcry would be too much.
** While the health budget is very sensitive, education has more 'clientele in the pipeline'. Everybody cares about health and education- but by far those who care the most are those who have family members closely engaged. Simple math: there are a LOT more parents [and grandparents] of kids in school than there are patients and their family members. And the cuts to schools is going to be a long as well as bloody battle. So get that one going right away.
** As the biggest dust begins to settle from the attacks on school funding, its time for health care. Former darling of the NSNDP left, Health Minister Maureen MacDonald, has sat on her duff for two years. Now its time to roll out the medicine brewed in the Premeir's Office and Finance. [Maureen essentially bought into all this long before they won government. But thats a tangent.]
What's with all these cuts to health and education? I thought Nova Scotians elected the NDP? Or in the case of Nova Scotia, does "NDP" stand for "No Difference Party?"
I smell trademark infringement.
Here is the steaming pile served up by the Minister for NDP supporters.
The announcement of the cuts of course went out on Friday afternoon. But we'll say something to the base right away.
The last coupld months we've been getting a steady diet of this stuff: every time there is something negative or outright retrograde- which is pretty frequent- the base gets a dose of special stroking.
Worth noting that the inner sanctum of the government has shown themselves more concerned with their standing among the base than they are with the general public.
The different communications for each around the latest bad news announcements are prepped at the same time. The public gets theirs on Friday afternoon. But there are no illusions the base wont be paying much attention- so its in the Inboxes of members and identified supporters for prime time Saturday.
If that soundssmall to you, I'll explain why not at all.
And it is not just the fact of cuts. Persoanlly, I accept that there would have to be cuts to the health budget.
Officially it's 3% in reductions. One has to bear in mind however that salary increases due to collective bargaining obligations, and year to year inflationary costs must be absorbed within the existing envelope. The reality is 4 to 6%, with upwards of 3% of it being demanded through stealth.
There is a well founded case to be made for cuts to the health budget- captive of the ill health industry- and to re-orientation of spending emphasis.
And social democrats are the ones best positioned to launch this debate. Most of all an NDP government. It will not be easy. But we arent asking for silver bullets or even polished complete solutions- just a start. Simple things like engaging the public.
There was absolutely zero of that. In fact, we get what could not be better designed as the polar opposite:
If anyone is positioned to figure out how to make the cuts, it is the provincial government. But no, lets just fob it off on the health boards, to fumble around duplicating each other, and let them take the shit for making speaking cuts X and Y.
Chicken shit in the extreme.
Maureen MacDonald has been virtually absent for two years, which is just what the Premeir's office wanted. And she bought into this shit a good 2 years before they got elected.
Premier Dexter is not ruling out an election for next year. May will only be 3 years since the last election and now the possibility of a 2012 election. I don't quite understand why he would consider wasting money on an early election, seems opportunistic to me.
Premier won’t 'rule anything out' on possibility of election in 2012
You dont need to wonder why.
They perceive they can get away with it. Like Chretien when facing fragmented opposition- hey its good now, who knows about next year... let's do it.
That said, my read is that Dexter is not even floating this as a trial balloon. He was asked. And while not ambushed, he had only two choices
1.] to say something like "I really cannot see doing that"
OR
2.] what he said: I wouldnt want to rule that out.
The decision to do that or not would be 9 months from now.... even if he isnt looking at the escape hatch now, who knows about then.
If he calls an election in the Fall of 2012 it will be 3.5 years into his mandate - that is within the normal window of 3.5 to 4.5 years that is a typical term. If he thinks he can win one year from now - why not?
NDP support surges in Nova Scotia! They are now at 45% compared to the PCs at 29% and the Liberals sinking like a stone to 22% (familiar pattern!). Gov't satisfaction up to 55%!
http://www.metronews.ca/halifax/blog/post/1043051
I just feel it's a waste of money to have more elections then are needed, I don't understand why there are not fixed date election there. I feel not having fixed date elections, or not signaling well in advance when you'll have an election, is just simply taking advantage of your position as the government and undermining the opposition parties. Did you agree when Harper called an election in 2008?
No. But I didnt think there was any point rounding about it- even with such a generally democratically challenged crowd,
The opposition parties and personnel here are both underwhelming to say the least. Its also several months since the last really deep cuts, and several more before the next round are revealed.
If they continue relatively unscathed, they may well go for it.
From my perspective here in Lunenburg, N.S., I can't see Premier Dexter calling an election before 2013, to be sure that the jobs which are coming from the shipbuilding contract have started up. Happy voters with jobs aren't likely to vote out the incumbent government.
Plus, there will be legislation to redistibute the provincial riding boundaries next year, which I believe won't be coming until the fall sitting of the Legislature. There has to be time for new Chief Electoral Officers to be hired (and getting rid of some of the old Tory cronies that have been in those positions!) amongst other ground-work before the next election takes place.
Right now, I'd say it's 75-25 the odds against an election next year.