Nova Scotia’s two Liberal leadership candidates are putting more detail behind their visions for the province as the race to choose the party’s next leader enters its final weeks.
Lunenburg West MLA Becky Druhan has released the second and final pillar of her leadership plan, while Richmond County Deputy Warden Amanda Mombourquette has also laid out a broad policy plan focused on community resilience.
Druhan’s plan, called A Good Life Within Reach: Building Nova Scotia’s Future Together, is organized around three themes: stronger communities, lasting opportunity and government accountability.
It identifies health care, affordability, economic development and public accountability as major priorities.
Among the areas highlighted are improving access to health care, addressing housing and household costs, strengthening consumer protections and creating more economic opportunities in communities across the province.
Druhan also wants clearer rules surrounding major developments and greater accountability from government.
She says the document is intended to guide the development of the Liberals’ next election platform rather than serve as a finished platform itself.
Mombourquette’s community resilience plan focuses on reliable health care, citizen wellness and safe communities.
Her proposals include addressing emergency department closures, developing more community-based collaborative health clinics and placing a greater focus on women’s health.
The plan also calls for measures aimed at ensuring Nova Scotians have access to safe and affordable housing and for the development of a Nova Scotia food strategy.
Mombourquette also wants greater attention paid to climate adaptation and emergency preparedness and has pledged to work toward extending reliable cell phone and internet service throughout the province.
She has separately called for a public inquiry into Nova Scotia’s health-care system, arguing it could examine whether the province is getting adequate results from its health spending while immediate reforms continue.
The policy releases come as both candidates also focus on rebuilding the Liberal Party following its third-place finish in the 2024 provincial election.
Druhan’s first campaign pillar focused on strengthening local riding associations, recruiting candidates and improving the party’s election readiness.
Mombourquette has similarly made rebuilding the party’s membership and local organizations a central part of her campaign.
The candidates meet in Yarmouth Thursday night for the second of three Liberal leadership debates.
Nova Scotia Liberals will choose their next leader on November 21.
