Final days of campaign about refining message, courting undecided

Nova Scotia political party leaders were criss-crossing the province Saturday in an attempt to capture the support of undecided voters.

Liberal Leader Stephen McNeil, the NDP's Gary Burrill and Progressive Conservative Leader Jamie Baillie started campaigning in metro Halifax before heading to Kentville for the 85th Annapolis Valley Apple Blossom Festival.

McNeil was then headed to the South Shore while Baillie was scheduled to appear later at a health care rally in Glace Bay.

'We're hard at it'

Burrill chose to return to his Halifax Chebucto riding and to appear with Halifax Armdale candidate David Wheeler as well.

"We're at it hard. We're giving it everything we've got," he said Saturday morning at the Halifax Forum Farmers Market.

The NDP has distanced itself from the Liberals and Progressive Conservatives by stepping away from their "fixation" on balancing the province's budget, he said.

Burrill has been outspoken about the party's intent to run a budget deficit while repairing Nova Scotia's health care and education systems, as well as reducing the large number of people who depend on food banks to eat.

The NDP also says it will offer free tuition for Nova Scotia Community College students to reduce their debts upon graduation.

"We've seen with the federal Liberal government who have run serious deficits in order to stimulate the economy in the recent period," he said.

"So this is not a new idea. It is what our federal government is doing and it is what we should be doing in Nova Scotia."

'A mode of hope'

The party would also follow Alberta's example by raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour over three years, Burrill said.

"This is a move that has been made with great success in Alberta."

The NDP leader appeared indifferent to a recent plea by Baillie for "soft" NDP supporters and the undecided to vote for the PCs in order to unseat the McNeil Liberals.

"I am not in a mode of concern or worry. I am in a mode of hope," he said.

Won't 'unscramble the egg'

Baillie's health-care rally in Glace Bay comes one day after seven doctors in Cape Breton Regional Municipality held a news conference to call attention to the fact that the region is "hemorrhaging" family doctors and specialists.

He said Saturday that his party's solution to the crisis is to slash layers of administration at the Nova Scotia Health Authority and to use the money to recruit doctors.

"You can actually cut through the bureaucracy and save money. The current health authority has too many administrative layers."

He said the health authority would include more local representation, but would not "unscramble the egg" by separating the one provincial body back into regional health authorities.

'I've never taken a vote for granted'

Meanwhile, McNeil responded to the doctors' criticisms by saying the Liberals have a plan in place to address the problems.

"We're going to increase our residency seats by 20, which will add 56 family practice [doctors] in the province," he said.

His government would increase specialist positions by 15, five of which would go directly to Cape Breton as well as providing seven nurse practitioners for the region, McNeil added.

Promise of province-wide locum services

The Liberals have also promised to put in place a province-wide locum services for both doctors and nurses.

"We're the only party that has laid out a solution."

In the final days of the campaign, McNeil said he believes there is "a majority out there for us to get" but added there's more work to be done over the next two days.

"I've never taken a riding for granted. I've been elected since 2003. And I've never taken a vote for granted. People have to earn these votes."