Almost two years have passed since the MV Miner ran aground off the rocky shores of Cape Breton’s Scatarie Island.

A Greek tugboat was towing the MV Miner on Sept. 20, 2011 when its line broke and the ship ran aground.

The ship, a retired Great Lakes bulk carrier, was on its way from Montreal to Turkey, where it was to be scrapped.

The vessel is still shipwrecked and now that the NDP is seeking a second term in Nova Scotia, it’s becoming an election issue.

A community group advocating for the ship’s removal is asking all three Nova Scotia party leaders how they would make the ship history.

“Where does your party stand? What is your policy on getting rid of this? How would you be able to help us facilitate communication among all levels of government?” asks Amanda McDougall of the Main-a-Dieu Community Development Association.

The shipwreck has become a major issue on the campaign trail for the three candidates vying for the riding of Cape Breton West.

“I’ll continue working with the community,” says the incumbent, Progressive Conservative candidate Alfie MacLeod.

“As soon as the new federal minister of transport was named to her post, I got in contact with her. I’ve asked her to come here to go out and visit the site. We’ve got to find a way to get this problem solved for the community.”

The main sticking point continues to be whether the ship’s removal is a federal responsibility or a provincial one.

Liberal candidate Josephine Kennedy says the solution is approaching private industry to salvage the wreck. She also says Premier Darrell Dexter has dropped the ball.

“I really don’t feel they’ve put their heart and soul into finding a solution,” says Kennedy. “We had that private contractor come in and say he was going to do certain things but there was no will on the part of the government to even go out and approach local companies that have skills in cutting up metal.”

NDP candidate Delton McDonald says he is concerned about the issue and would push the federal government to help find a solution to finally remove the two-year-old shipwreck.

Word on Ottawa’s involvement in the matter may be coming soon. Transport Minister Lisa Raitt is promising a decision on the MV Miner within months.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Ryan MacDonald