LITTLE HARBOUR, N.S. — It was billed as an East Coast Kitchen Party with Andrew Scheer, but as one Conservative Party staffer said, it might be more aptly called an East Coast Kitchen Rally, as there was little room for dancing despite the live fiddle music.
Hundreds of people packed the Little Harbour Community Centre to capacity Thursday night for a chance to meet Scheer and to show support for Conservative Candidate George Canyon who is in a tight race against the Liberal incumbent Sean Fraser for the right to represent Central Nova.
Scheer was met by loud applause and chants of his name.
“I always like to start off these events with a real piece of good news,” Scheer said. “You know Justin Trudeau started his campaign a few weeks ago asking for four more years, but I’m here to tell you he’s only got four more days.”
The crowd broke into a chant of “Four more days.”
“I love the sound of that,” Scheer said.
Scheer went on to expound how his platform would help middle class Canadians get ahead.
In the end he said voters are left to answer one question: “Who do you trust to put more money in your pockets so you can get ahead?”
In a private interview with The News following the rally, Scheer said what motivates him as a politician is his five children.
“I hope this doesn’t sound too cliché, but I look at the world that they’re going to inherit and I look at what life will be like for them,” he said. “I don’t want to let Justin Trudeau to do to my five kids what his father did to my generation and knowing the legacy of debt my generation has to pay off.”
He said there are key things he would do as leader to make life better for Atlantic Canadians including a universal tax cut for all Canadians and a tax credit for families that have children involved in sports and other recreational activities as well as a larger investment for education savings plans.
Conservatives are also committed he said to bringing Western Canadian energy to Eastern Canadian markets.
Part of the plan that will allow these cuts and investments will involve cutting Canada’s aid to foreign countries by 25 per cent. Asked how he would go about this without damaging Canada’s reputation in the world, Scheer said it would be by cutting aid to countries that don’t need it.
“There are a lot of countries that receive foreign aid or development spending that have a relatively high rating on the development index,” he said.
He listed Iran, Brazil and Mexico as examples.
“We’re basically saying there’s a lot of problems here at home. There’s a lot of people here at home that are struggling. We will continue to give money to countries that need it or countries that really are in dire straits.”
Asked about what he would say to Northern Pulp employees and forestry workers who might be concerned about the potential that could result because of the Boat Harbour Act which mandates that the Boat Harbour treatment facility which Northern Pulp uses, close by January 2019, Scheer said: “We are committed to finding a solution that both protects the waterways and protects the economic engines and that recognizes the jobs that are created there.”
He said he will honour funding commitments made by the Trudeau government for projects in Central Nova including the twinning of the section of the Trans Canada 104 between New Glasgow and Antigonish, which has seen multiple fatalities, including two as recently as this week.
Scheer praised Canyon as someone who will be a strong voice for Central Nova.
“One thing I know about George and the way our party works is that George will be a voice for his riding in Ottawa and not like what’s happened under the Liberals where Liberal MPs are just a mouth piece for the Liberal party in Ottawa.”
Canyon said he’s honoured by being able to run.
“No greater honour has ever been asked of me then to step up an serve my family and friends, my neighbours and all the residents of Central Nova.”
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