Sunday marked the first full day of campaigning in three Nova Scotia byelections scheduled for July 14.
Premier Stephen McNeil announced late Saturday afternoon that voters in Dartmouth South, Cape Breton Centre and Sydney-Whitney Pier will go to the polls in 30 days.
He told CTV News he chose the date with the voter in mind.
“The months of June and September are the two busiest months for families. School is ending, and school is starting,” McNeil said.
The elections were needed to fill seats left vacant by Liberal MLA Allan Rowe, who died suddenly in March, and by the departure of two veteran NDP members.
Gordie Gosse announced in April he would vacate his Sydney-Whitney Pier seat following his battle with cancer, while Frank Corbett, who represented Cape Breton Centre, said he would step down to pursue other interests.
McNeil said some of the factors influencing his choice of when to hold the byelections included his desire to give Rowe’s family advance notice.
He said he also wanted to give the provincial NDP time to get their annual general meeting out of the way.
Opposition leaders, however, say other, less honest motives lie behind the decision.
“That's a recipe for low voter turnout, and it's disappointing that we couldn't have had this earlier,” said interim NDP Leader Maureen MacDonald.
“There was an opportunity for the premier to call it while people were still around.”
PC Leader Jamie Baillie, meanwhile, says the Liberals have a lot to answer for when voters go to the polls.
“Mr. McNeil now has a record to defend, and it's a record where they've made a mess of the film industry, where jobs have been lost, where they've cut important services that people rely on,” Baillie said.
McNeil, meanwhile, says his party’s record is one of investments and tough choices.
“We’ve made a difference in classrooms across this province. We've made an investment in wait times, surgical wait times,” McNeil said.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Ron Shaw
