New Democratic Party candidate or Central Nova, Betsy MacDonald wasted no time in addressing the uncertainty around employment at Northern Pulp.
“We need to consider the importance of job security and pension security for mill workers,” said MacDoanld in an interview where she took federal leadership under the Liberal and Conservative parties to task over the current impasse at The Mill.
“I think that the situation is a result of negligence that has gone on for decades on the part of successive Liberal and Conservative federal governments that have failed to hold the mill to maintain environmental standards.”
At her nomination and annual general meeting for the Central Nova NDP in Plymouth on June 15, MacDonald spoke about how the situation at Abercrombie Point is reflective of her party’s larger economic and environmental policy in the upcoming federal election.
“It’s really important that there is a plan for workers who are displaced or otherwise effected by the economic changes ahead,” MacDonald said.
“The NDP has presented a plan for a transition to a clean economy which is centered around the workers. The world is moving in the direction of green jobs and clean economy. The question is, are we going to be a leader in our province and in our country in being part of the change?”
MacDonald’s nomination comes days after prominent NDP MLA Lenore Zann announced her plans to run as the Liberal candidate in the federal riding of Cumberland-Colchester.
“Politics is never boring,” said MacDonald. “These are things that happen from time to time and we have to take it in stride.”
Here in Central Nova, MacDonald said that the NDP are ideally placed to upset Liberal MP Sean Fraser.
“I have a lot of respect for him, but he was elected on a Liberal wave and I think that people in our riding are looking for something different,” she said.
“I feel very privileged to take on this role. I am humbled by the challenge and very excited to start the work in earnest of talking to people in Central Nova and hearing what their concerns are.”
