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| Marjorie Newman talks to NDP candidate Mark Austin during a campaign stop in Amherst on Monday. With three of five provincial ridings in Cumberland-Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley going NDP last June, Austin feels people in the federal riding are ready for a change. Darrell Cole - Amherst Daily News |
AMHERST - If the results of last summer's provincial election are any indication, New Democrats across Cumberland-Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley have reason to be optimistic.
"I'm very encouraged by what I'm hearing across the riding. People are telling me it's time for change and now that Bill Casey is not running, they're realizing their best bet would be to support someone on the other side," Mark Austin said while campaigning in Amherst on Monday.
"The people want someone who will stand up for us and that's the integrity I hope to bring to Ottawa."
Austin, a wild blueberry farmer and environmental and social policy consultant from Old Barns, said now, more than ever, there's a strong feeling across northern Nova Scotia that someone other than the traditional Conservative needs to represent the region.
While he lives in Colchester County, Austin has strong ties to Cumberland County in that his father was from Collingwood, where he still runs a blueberry operation along with one in Mount Pleasant. His mother was from Springhill and his grandfather was a coal miner.
Last June, a number of longtime provincial Conservative strongholds shifted their allegiances to the New Democrats, including Cumberland North, Truro-Bible Hill and Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley.
"There's no doubt there's a traditional vote that's still in place, but the fact of the matter is that three of the five (provincial) ridings in the federal riding went to the New Democrats. People are no longer afraid to vote for the New Democrats because they liked what they saw," Austin said, adding it's the New Democrats who are fiscally responsible and calling for cooler heads in the House of Commons.
"I think what the people are looking for is someone who will represent us in Ottawa and not vice versa," he said, adding fairness and co-operation in government, buying local agricultural products and community-based economic development are the key issues in this campaign.
He also feels tying more of the gas tax to infrastructure funding would make it easier for municipal units to fix streets and improve community morale.
While popular longtime MP Bill Casey is not in the mix this time, Austin feels his legacy will play out in the fact the voters will want someone who best represents what he did. The fact Casey was very active on the environmental front in calling for improvements to dyke and marshlands on the Bay of Fundy could help Austin, who has also been very active on the environment front.
"People are looking for someone who supports family values, community values and environmental values and causes. That's why I believe I was approached," Austin said. "We can get those votes if people look out and see there's someone who feels the same as we do on those issues - not just someone who is more interested in themselves, their career or their party."
dcole@amherstdaily.com
