Moldy Peaches

Is the province of Nova Scotia really ready for a New Democrat government? Yes, according to the most recent poll by Corporate Research Associates. The opposition New Democratic Party has now become preferred political party in the province with 32 per cent of respondents in the province indicating that they would vote for Darrell Dexter and crew in the next provincial election.

John Hamm's governing Progressive Conservative party is second with 31 per cent followed by the Liberal party of Francis MacKenzie with 26 per cent. The Progressive Conservatives won 25 of the Legislative Assembly’s 52 seats in the August 2003 election - fuelled mostly by rural Nova Scotians. Hamm has served as Nova Scotia’s premier since 1999.

Nova Scotia residents face no shortage of ballet box issues. The province has the highest university tuition in the country (an average of $6,000). Youth out migration, like all the other Atlantic provinces, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and most of rural Canada, is an issue. Maximizing oil and gas exploration is also high on the agenda. As well, the province still has some outstanding automobile insurance issues - notably higher than necessary rates.

The NDP has never governed any Atlantic Canadian province and so these poll results are somewhat perplexing. It will be interesting to see if Nova Scotia residents are ready to abandon the comfort of either the Conservatives or Liberals in favour of the untested New Democrats.

View the entire poll here.