Liberals promise to create minister of women's health, NDPs to increase CBRM's municipal grant

The leaders of Nova Scotia’s top three political parties are keeping themselves busy on the campaign trail ahead of this month’s provincial election.

The Progressive Conservatives released its party's platform on Friday. Liberal Leader Zach Churchill announced changes to better women’s health care, while NDP Leader Claudia Chender promised to provide the Cape Breton Regional Municipality with a larger municipal grant.

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Liberals promise to better women’s health care

Churchill promised he would make health care “better” for women across the province.

Churchill says the health-care system has failed women, with some facing significant challenges getting diagnoses and treatment.

"Women make up 50 per cent of our population, but only eight per cent of medical research is focused on them," he said.

"There's no question that there is a gap in women's health care. A Nova Scotia Liberal government will take meaningful steps to ensure a gender lens is applied to the delivery of health care, and a blueprint is adopted for improving women's health in Nova Scotia."

The Liberal leader says he would implement new steps to improve women’s health care, including:

1. Create a minister of women's health: Churchill says by naming a minister of women's health, his government would ensure that specific health issues like endometriosis and ovarian cancer are given the attention and resources they deserve.
2. Close the gap on women's health research: A Liberal government would require 50 per cent of all research funding in the province be used to study women's health. In addition, the party would re-establish the Atlantic Centre of Excellence for Women's Health to address current gaps and strengthen the province’s health system response to the specific health needs and concerns of women in our province.
3. Increase access to menstrual products: Churchill says a Nova Scotia Liberal government would ensure all provincial buildings have free menstrual products accessible to the public.

“It’s a hard pill to swallow to know that in 2024, women are still being assessed and treated based on research on men’s bodies,” said Fairview-Clayton Park candidate, Patricia Arab. “Our platform truly addresses the need to further research and support initiatives that are unique to women’s health.”

NDPs promise to increase municipal finance grant for CBRM

Nova Scotia NDP Leader Claudia Chender made an announcement in Cape Breton Friday, promising to restore equalization payments from the province to the municipality, support fair funding and economic growth to the region if re-elected.

Chender says an NDP government would double the municipal finance grant from $15 million to $30 million in her first year in power.

“Cape Bretoners are struggling with a strained health-care system, roads that are falling apart, and social services that don’t provide the support people deserve,” said Chender. “The Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM), and the people it serves, aren’t getting their fair share of funding from Tim Houston’s government."

According to Chender, the CBRM was facing a multi-million-dollar budget shortfall in April 2023, and asked the province to increase its operating grant. However, she says that request was denied by the current government.

In October 2023, Chender says CBRM councillors refused to sign onto a new provincial funding agreement. The deal would have seen the Cape Breton Regional Municipality’s current $15 million grant remain in place for five years before dropping to $13.6 million.

PCs expected to release full platform

Nova Scotia’s Progressive Conservative party released its full platform Friday.

The PCs are the second of the three major parties to release a platform this week. The first were the Liberals, whose plan contained $2.3 billion in election promises over four years.

The provincial election will take place on Nov. 26.

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page.