Liberal leadership hopefuls make final push as vote fast approaches
COVID has diverted attention from the race, but all eyes soon to be on next premier
With the public focus on wave two of the pandemic, people could be forgiven for not noticing the Nova Scotia Liberal Party has been holding a leadership race since October.
Candidates Randy Delorey, Labi Kousoulis and Iain Rankin have largely been overshadowed by the ongoing pandemic, and Premier Stephen McNeil has loomed much larger over the party than an outgoing leader would in non-COVID times.
With the party's virtual convention less than three weeks away, that could soon change.
COVID-19 has played a big role in this campaign, as it has in everything else. Aside from affecting how candidates could campaign, COVID has become the central issue for Delorey, the former health minister.
- 8,100 delegates register to select next premier
- Kousoulis, Rankin release economic plans
- Delorey's economic plan focused on training, education
Repeatedly he's touted himself as the best prepared to continue the pandemic response, due to his experience working with Public Health officials and his understanding of the province's health system.
"Understanding and appreciating that is what sets me apart and has me ready to hit the ground running in February," Delorey said in a recent interview with CBC News, referring to the Feb. 6 date when the winner will be announced.
Whether that position resonates with Liberal Party delegates remains to be seen, but his rivals have dismissed the notion they are somehow less qualified to deal with the pandemic.
During interviews with CBC News, Kousoulis and Rankin said they would continue the example set by McNeil of following the guidance of Public Health while being mindful of what businesses need to weather the economic fallout of the pandemic.
Kousoulis noted his own experience working with Public Health as the advanced education minister when the province prepared to welcome back 4,000 university students from outside the province this fall.
- Rankin says he'd quit coal earlier than planned
- Kousoulis promises 'green' fund
- Delorey calls for culture change on environment
While McNeil has faced criticism for the lack of time his government spent in the legislature in 2020, none of the candidates said they disagreed with the approach. However, they all pledged to recall the House soon after the Feb. 6 convention to pass a budget and set the government on a new track.
At some point between now and spring of 2022, the next premier also needs to call an election. The Liberals have been in power since 2013 and it will be up to the new premier to find a way to make the government seem fresh to voters.
McNeil may be riding high in opinion polls now as a result of the government's response to the pandemic (and an opposition that's all but vanished on account of few exposure opportunities), but there's no guarantee that shine will transfer to his successor, or that the public goodwill can be sustained for the Liberals by the time voters go to the polls.
None of the candidates has directly criticized the government they've been a part of or McNeil's approach, but there have been tacit nods to doing things differently via policy announcements and talk during debates about the need for party renewal.
All three men previously said they saw no reason to hold back information about how COVID stimulus money was being spent, despite McNeil's initial resistance to do so. The premier eventually relented.
Rankin's environmental pledges — and promised changes to forestry practices, in particular — come as progress on the Lahey report languished since its release more than two years ago, including while he was Lands and Forestry minister. He attributed delays at least in part to the pandemic, but said changes are ready to go.
"You'll see changes on the ground immediately if I'm elected," Rankin said of his plans for how forests are managed.
The 37-year-old also touted his age as being an advantage to attract new, younger voters based on the priority he's placing on the environment, including an more aggressive move away from fossil fuels than the current government planned and framing economic recovery through green policies.
Delorey's approach to his entire campaign — to engage in a listening tour before forming and releasing policy planks — was presented as a way to hear firsthand from people who are, and are not, party members. He also wants to get more young people involved in the party and hold regular virtual meetings open to all party members.
Intended or not, it's difficult to not draw a comparison between that effort and complaints that McNeil's office had become less open to listening, even to party members.
And then there's Kousoulis: the accountant who shares McNeil's belief in not spending what the province doesn't have, but who is committed to doing what needs to be done now to help small businesses avoid mass closures during the pandemic.
"We have two choices," he said. "We can help now with making targeted funds available, making targeted investments reducing their burden. Or, if we lose the small businesses, we could have a runway of five-plus years where we're trying to get businesses back and get those people employed."
Winner to be announced Feb. 6
Kousoulis has presented his plan for continued twinning of highways as a way to keep people working in the province while addressing inequalities in road conditions, particularly in the Cape Breton area. Borrowing rates are primed for making long-term investments in the province now, he said.
With a ranked ballot to determine the next Liberal leader and premier, representatives from all three campaigns privately say it's unlikely the first ballot will produce a winner.
That means between now and the party's virtual convention, candidates and their teams will be working the phones trying to find converts, or perhaps more important, securing second-choice support.
The public's attention might well be on other things at the moment, but all eyes will be on one of the three candidates as of Feb. 6, and for the foreseeable future.
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