Nova Scotia NDP releases election platform, vow to make housing more affordable

The Nova Scotia NDP unveiled its election platform Wednesday at press event in Halifax, where party leader Claudia Chender says an NDP government would improve the lives of all Nova Scotians, by creating more affordable housing and improving access to health care.

For Chender and the NDP, housing is the issue driving this election and they plan to make housing more affordable and put an end to spiraling rent increases.

“We hear everywhere we go that people can not afford a place to live and that is absolutely our focus,” said Chender, who called a home the foundation of our lives and the core of our well-being.

“We know if people can’t afford hosing, than they can’t be healthy, they can’t afford their groceries and other necessities, because housing is the single largest driver of costs,” said Chender. “And the cost of housing is absolutely out of control.”

Housing

If elected the NDP would immediately implement rent control measures like cutting the annual rent increase allowance down from 5 per cent, to 2.5 per cent, a move the NDP has previously announced during another campaign stop.

Chender said they would also create an easier path toward home ownership by introducing a Rent-to-Own program that provides lower upfront costs for purpose-built factory homes for new buyers with a household income of less than $100,000 per year.

The NDP also promised to provide more housing rebates for low-income renters that would cost the government $194.5 million per-year to implement, while promising to build 30,000 new affordable rental homes by 2028.

Health care

Chender says and NDP government would provide better health care faster, adding the PC government has had three years to fix health care, and their 2021 election promise to do so has fallen short.

The NDP said they would connect all Nova Scotians to family doctor by moving to new patient attachment model that gives access to a doctor based on your location.

Chender said the NDP would open 15 collaborative family doctor clinics in their first year in government and build over 45 clinics by then end 2027.

“It’s not a secret that under Tim (Houston) and when Zach (Churchill) was the health minister, Nova Scotians have not gotten the health care that they need,” said Chender. “The Liberals abandoned primary care clinics and left 70,000 people unattached to primary care, and after three and a half years of Tim Houston there are at least 145 thousand people waiting for attachment to primary care and a doctor.”

Affordability

Chender and the NPD have promised affordability relief and have made several promises already which are aimed at bringing down the cost of living, like it’s pledge to cut the HST from everyday essentials like groceries, phone and internet bills and heating costs. That promise would cost the province $172 million annually in taxpayer dollars.

The NDP also announced today that they would provide a “gas tax holiday” that would cut the provincial tax on gas while inflation is high and would save people 15.5 cents per litre at the pumps, said Chender.

“We see it (gas tax holiday) as a temporary measure,” said Chender. “While prices are high, while inflation is high, while people are pinched to afford the cost of a commute.”

The NDP platform shows more than $17.5 billion in spending during year-one with projected revenue around $17.8 billion with campaign commitments that would see an additional $1 billion is spending to cover new initiatives.

Chender said there a major challenges ahead of them with housing, in health care, and affordability that needs addressing and that requires spending.

“Nova Scotia can’t afford not to fix the housing crisis, can’t afford not to fix our access to primary care, and can’t afford not to make sure everyone can pay their bills each month,” said Chender. “This platform is steadfastly focussed on the issues that everyday Nova Scotians are facing and is designed to address them as quickly as possibly.”

The provincial election is set for Tuesday, November 26th.

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