Note: We asked the Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative Party’s five leadership candidates a series of questions on topics from immigration to #MeToo. A new leader will be chosen on Oct. 27. For Julie Chaisson's answers, click here, for Cecil Clarke's answers, click here, and for Tim Houston's answers, click here, for John Lohr's answers click here.
Age: 49
Hometown: Grew up in Linden, Cumberland County. Now lives in East Amherst.
Family: Husband Murray McCrossin and four adult children (three sons, one daughter)
Profession: Registered nurse and former owner/operator of several businesses.
Little Known Fact: In 1998, as the mother of an infant, I filed a complaint with the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission that resulted in the right of mothers to breastfeed. At the time I was asked to leave the store in question for breastfeeding, florist Neville MacKay offered me a place in his business to allow me to finish feeding my young son. I was always grateful for his kindness on a difficult day.
Given the provincial Liberals’ move to the right, where does that leave Progressive Conservatives?
The Progressive Conservative party needs to be Nova Scotia’s pro-growth party. We need to be the party of free enterprise, without sacrificing our social responsibilities. Under Stephen McNeil’s Liberals, Nova Scotia continues to have among the worst-performing economies in Canada. Under the Liberals, Nova Scotians continue to pay among the highest rates of taxes in Canada. This gives the PC party a great opportunity to show Nova Scotians that we are prepared to make big changes to make Nova Scotia the best place in Canada for businesses and people to invest, create jobs and expand our overall tax base.
Do we need more immigrants? If so, how would you attract and retain them?
Attracting and retaining more immigrants is one important part to growing Nova Scotia’s population and growing our economy. As premier, I will negotiate a Made-in-Nova Scotia immigration agreement with the Government of Canada to give our province additional powers. We need to ensure Nova Scotia gets our fair share of the number of immigrants coming to Canada. My Mega Tax Break will also make Nova Scotia a more affordable place for new Canadians, especially those who start up new businesses, to stay. Making our province a more attractive place to live and invest will help keep more new Canadians here.
How would you address the shortage of family doctors and other health professionals?
As a registered nurse who helped recruit more than 10 doctors to my home community and as PC Leader I would fight for:
· Ensuring that 50 per cent of the voting members of the Nova Scotia Health Authority’s board is either a doctor, nurse or other accredited health-care professional
· Improving and restoring local decision-making and physician engagement — with Medical Staff Associations (MSA) across the province involved
· Strengthening recruitment initiatives by bringing compensation for Nova Scotia doctors in line with other provinces; asking for local physician input to identify which initiatives are working and which aren’t; working with community-based recruitment teams where possible and flexibility around physician privileges
· Reviving full-scope comprehensive family medicine with a payment model that reflects the delivery of comprehensive and collaborative primary care and greater flexibility on privileging and billing.
· Maintaining rural specialty services with rural rotations for medical residents, integration of rural specialists into QEII and IWK planning and a strong and vibrant local program.
What would you do about problems with long-term care such as long wait lists, in-care violence and bed sores?
I am the only PC leadership candidate to commit to a new Continuing Care Strategy. This will increase the number of long-term care beds to match the demand of the growing seniors’ population, as well as create stabilization units to ensure the safety of high needs seniors. I will fight for changes to the Homes for Special Care Act to update staffing ratios that haven’t changed in over 30 years; hiring nurse practitioners to work in long-term care facilities to help improve care for seniors; and tough penalties on facilities that aren’t complying with the act.
Would you change the practice of integrating children with various learning and behavioural challenges into regular classes? If so, how?
What we are currently doing is not working for anyone. We need a common sense approach. Inclusion is a worthwhile goal that we should continue to pursue in Nova Scotia, but it should reflect today’s realities. Ideally, it should enrich the experience of all students, regardless of the kind of learning and behavioural challenges they face. Inclusion can only work if there are proper supports in the classroom for educators, staff, parents and students. The Commission on Inclusive Education called for a new model of inclusion. As PC leader, I will fight for the government to put the commission’s findings into action.
Would you restore regional school boards?
No. We can’t turn back the clock and inject more chaos into our public school system. We do need to ensure that local decision-making is strengthened, with teachers and parents more involved than they have been in recent years.
What leadership attribute do you have that sets you apart from the other four candidates?
I refuse to let politics change my core values. I will not be distracted by the game of politics that intervenes when someone who is elected tries to invoke real, positive, effective change to better our communities and our province. There is a very real battle of perceived power. I know that real power comes from a place of truth and honesty.
As a registered nurse, I’m the only candidate who is a health-care professional. I’m the only candidate who has direct experience recruiting doctors to my home community in rural Nova Scotia. I have started four businesses that helped create 35 jobs in rural Nova Scotia. As a relatively new MLA, I have seen our broken political culture up close and I’m asking the party to give me a mandate as leader to change it.
I believe our province needs a leader that still believes truth and honesty should be a core value of our government. I believe I am that person; someone who cares and has the knowledge and vision to build Nova Scotia into an economic power in Canada.
Who is your political superhero and why?
Former premier and Cumberland East MLA Roger Bacon has been a wonderful mentor of mine. He is well respected in our community because he never lost sight of his purpose to serve the people that elected him.
Roger is gutsy. He is knowledgeable. He is grounded. He listens. He is principled. When some said that I should wait until another time to seek the PC leadership, Roger encouraged me to go for it.
What is the McNeil government’s greatest achievement?
Premier Stephen McNeil’s apology in 2014 to former residents of the Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children who were abused — although prior to my election as MLA in 2017 — will stand as a historic recognition of past wrongs that resulted from entrenched racism in the province.
What is your position on replacing the Boat Harbour effluent treatment facility for Northern Pulp?
We need a solution that will achieve the environmental objectives set out by the current government, without unreasonably compromising the ability of Northern Pulp to operate. Many people who work in the forestry sector across Nova Scotia depend on Northern Pulp. Over the decades, however, Northern Pulp has enjoyed significant concessions from the provincial government, especially from Nova Scotia taxpayers. We must work together to find a path to keep Northern Pulp functioning in an environmentally sustainable way, but not at any and all costs.
Do you support a national Pharmacare plan?
In principle, a national Pharmacare plan could be good for Nova Scotia. The federal government needs to come to the table with a significant investment to make such a plan feasible. We cannot allow Ottawa to create a situation as they did with Medicare, where the original funding formula was supposed to be 50/50 between the federal and provincial governments, but today Ottawa funds less than 20 per cent.
I am concerned that the national pharmacare panel convened by the federal government and chaired by former Ontario Health Minister Eric Hoskins is just political window dressing to help the federal government get through the 2019 election.
I have spoken with many local pharmacists in Nova Scotia and believe pharmacists MUST be at the decision-making table. Decisions that affect the industry cannot be made in isolation from pharmacists.
How much do we have ourselves to blame for poor health outcomes?
While I believe in the importance of personal responsibility, my experience as a registered nurse with a longtime interest in public health and nutrition is that the root causes for poor health outcomes are much more complex. It’s hard to ask people to focus on their own health when they don’t know whether they can afford to put a roof over their heads, or if they have to choose between heating their home or eating. That’s why I’m the only leadership candidate to use this campaign to talk about issues like healthy local food and poverty.
How would you keep young people from leaving Nova Scotia?
It comes down to jobs and the economy. Young people will not stay in a province that has among the worst rates of economic performance in Canada. That’s why I’m proposing a mega tax break that will put dollars back into the hands of all Nova Scotians — both individuals and businesses. The mega tax break will be the largest direct financial investment in our economy since the Second World War.
What would you do about the exodus from rural areas to the Halifax?
We need a premier that will promote business expansion and a strong investment climate in every part of the province. We need business growth in rural Nova Scotia to create the jobs that will give young people who want to stay the option to do so. I will make sure that every trade mission includes businesses from rural Nova Scotia. I will promote the advantages of a mega tax break that will reduce corporate tax rates to the lowest levels in Atlantic Canada and reduce the small business tax rate to zero per cent.
Have you ever had a #metoo moment?
Without going into specific details, like many women and girls, the answer to this question is yes.
The #metoo movement has given a voice to those who have been suffering alone and in silence. It has given people the courage to speak out and to share their experience with friends, family and professionals. People affected by sexual assault have a heavy burden to bear, which can lead to depression and bitterness of the heart. I encourage people to talk to a trusted friend, counsellor, spiritual minister or family member if they have been affected by violence of any nature.
I applaud the brave individuals — not only women, but of all genders — who have come forward on social media to share their pain publicly, but we must also respect those who choose to share with loved ones and/or professionals only. However survivors of sexual assault choose to share their stories, we should respect their courage and continue to bring this darkness into the light.
What would you change about the province's cannabis strategy?
It is unfortunate that the McNeil government disregarded the advice of former deputy prime minister Anne McLellan and every credible expert in public health and opted to sell cannabis in our province’s liquor stores. We should act on the advice of public health experts and consider increasing the legal age of cannabis consumption to 25 to mitigate the expected impacts on the mental health of young adults. We should also consult with the IWK Health Centre on additional measures that may be implemented to protect infants and children from the effects of cannabis.
There needs to be a public health education and awareness campaign on the effects of cannabis use as well as all other illegal drugs.
On marijuana: Have you tried it? Will you?
No, I have not tried cannabis, nor do I plan to once it becomes legal.
More P.C. leadership Q&As:
