SYDNEY, N.S. – As the end of the second week of the provincial election approaches, Cape Bretoners are asking about the whereabouts of Liberal Leader Zach Churchill and NDP Leader Claudia Chender.
Premier Tim Houston is the only party leader to have visited the Island, spending two whole days campaigning there in the election’s first week.
“Cape Breton just doesn’t matter to Zach Churchill’s Liberals,” said Brian MacArthur, PC candidate for Sydney-Membertou. “Perhaps Churchill’s embarrassed by supporting Justin Trudeau and his carbon tax, but he owes it to Cape Bretoners to show his face down here.”
Chender has also been dogged with controversial candidates on the mainland. Kings South NDP candidate Ramona Jennex is a former Education Minister whose cuts to education were so bad the Nova Scotia Teachers’ Union demanded she be fired. Meanwhile, Sackville-Uniacke NDP candidate Lisa Blackburn supported defunding the police as a Halifax regional councillor.
“Claudia Chender owes it to Cape Bretoners to explain why her NDP is home to candidates who are classroom cutters or defund police activists?” said MacArthur. “No matter the reason, Claudia Chender needs to get down here and stop disrespecting Cape Breton voters by ignoring us.”
MacArthur urged their Liberal and NDP counterparts to speak out on the absence of the Liberal and NDP leaders from the campaign trail on Cape Breton Island.