CBC hosted the first formal debate of the campaign last night.
Early voting polls are open at returning offices, and the election happens Tuesday Nov. 26.
Progressive Conservative leader and incumbent premier, Tim Houston, New Democratic Party leader Claudia Chender, and Liberal leader Zach Churchill had perhaps their most heated back and forth on housing issues.
Housing
While Houston was defending his party’s record of trying to build more homes, Churchill said they haven’t done enough.
Churchill tried to interrupt Houston to criticize his party’s platform for its housing plans. He said Houston’s platform looks more like a pamphlet.
“You’ll see there is nothing in there for housing. There’s nothing in there to protect renters. Our platform goes the furthest to protect renters who are fearful of being evicted, who are fearful of their rent increases going up beyond what they can afford,” said Churchill.
Churchill also criticized Houston for wanting to double the population of the province.
He said his party’s platform will deal with the fixed term lease loophole, provide a rent bank to help people when they can’t afford theirs, and they would try and get private companies to help build 80,000 new homes, as well as using not-for-profits to keep some affordable.
But Chender also took aim at the PC leader for dodging questions about rent caps and solving the fixed term lease loophole, which allows landlords to bypass the rent cap by evicting tenants.
“Tim, the question is about rents going up 18 per cent last year, 70 per cent since you took office. What are you doing about rents? Your rent cap is not working,” Chender said.
The NDP leader said her party would immediately implement better rent control and close the fixed term lease loophole, and start a rent-to-own housing program. She also said non-market housing is necessary.
“When Tim talks about housing supply, he seems to think that these shiny condos are magically going to become affordable in anyone’s lifetime, and they won’t.”
In response to both leaders, Houston doubled down, saying the solution to the housing crisis is to build more homes, and the difference between his party and the NDP is that they want to intervene more with the stock that’s there.
Energy and power
Chender promised to create a low-income energy rate.
But Churchill said it’s not just low-income people who need help, it’s everyone, which is why his party would create a $1000 heating rebate assistance program for certain households.
However, Houston said his party is the only one who will stand up against the federal carbon tax and that the Liberal cap and trade system is just a carbon tax by another name.
Chender interrupted him to say that Houston is the voice of inaction, blaming the federal government for many things.
“An NDP government would move waive the motive fuel tax. That’s a gas tax. That’s the tax that makes it hard for people to get from A to B. You have complained about it for three and a half years and blamed Ottawa. We would actually do it,” she said.
Health care
Every party has had a turn to fix health care in the last 20 years, and Nova Scotians are tired of finger pointing on the issue, but he also said health care has only gotten worse under the PC government. He promised to build 40 and expand 40 collaborative care clinics in Nova Scotia.
But when the PCs took over office in 2021, Houston said it would take time to fix health care. He was adamant that they’ve made a lot of progress but it will take more time as they recruit more doctors.
“It is a work in progress. I am committed to seeing it through. I will make sure it is seen through. But we are on a good path, a much better path than when I started,” said Houston.
Houston also promised to accelerate the skills assessment of doctors from other countries, bringing the current two-year period down to 12 weeks, so those doctors can start working sooner.
Chender said the PC leader is all talk until people are actually attached to more primary care providers, while she promised to crate 15 more collaborative care clinics across the province in their first year.
Education
Churchill blamed overcrowding in schools and several other areas on Houston’s desire to double the population in Nova Scotia.
Meanwhile, Chender accused the Houston government of waiting to reveal the locations and details of new schools coming to the province until they were having an election. She also said school boards are important tools, which Churchill got rid of as education minister, and which she would bring back.
Houston didn’t have much of a chance to speak on education with Chender and Churchill taking their turns criticizing the lack of teaching staff and the overcrowding in schools.
But Houston said his government is working on building new schools, but the best time to build a new school is always four or five years ago.
