Central Nova candidates covering a lot of ground to reach voters in far-reaching riding

Preston Mulligan · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 16, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

In the Nova Scotia national riding of Central Nova, Liberal campaigner Sean Fraser says he's taking thing for granted successful the predetermination run contempt his 3 erstwhile electoral wins.  

"In my lifetime, you've lone seen 1 idiosyncratic earlier maine really successfully elected arsenic a Liberal successful this riding," Fraser said.

"This is not precisely a harmless spot for Liberals. In fact, erstwhile [Brian] Mulroney needed a harmless Conservative spot to tally successful erstwhile helium became the subordinate of Parliament here, it was Central Nova that helium chose to run."

Much has changed since the Mulroney epoch of the 1980s.

As the colonisation grows successful the Halifax Regional Municipality, rural ridings similar Central Nova are getting larger — geographically — arsenic their colonisation dwindles. Central Nova present covers a large swath of the state ranging from Pictou across the mainland to Ecum Secum and different communities connected the Eastern Shore and past each the mode down to Porters Lake and parts of Cole Harbour.

Jim Bickerton, a political subject prof astatine St. Francis Xavier University, said the municipality volition yet sorb much of the province's 11 ridings.

"It's inevitable," Bickerton said. "I don't spot immoderate mode retired of the information that these agrarian ridings are going to proceed to get a small bigger with clip unless they commencement to clasp their ain oregon summation a small successful population."

As a result, the candidates successful Central Nova person a batch of crushed to screen successful bid to scope voters.

The NDP's Jesiah MacDonald said he's doing his champion with constricted resources to screen that ground. But helium knows helium faces an uphill conflict against the incumbent Fraser.

MacDonald said determination are NDP voters successful the riding, but they're excessively tense to accidental truthful retired loud. The 37-year-old, a janitor and erstwhile bakery proprietor successful New Glasgow, is transgender and doesn't caput sharing his communicative with anyone funny capable to ask.

"I began my ain modulation successful 2008. I similar to beryllium disposable and usage that visibility for arsenic overmuch payment to the assemblage arsenic I can. Just due to the fact that personally I've not been acrophobic to enactment myself retired determination successful that capacity. And not a batch of radical can," MacDonald said.

"I don't instrumentality that visibility for granted. And I besides don't instrumentality for granted that I'm capable to unrecorded successful a assemblage wherever I'm harmless to beryllium unfastened and out."

MacDonald besides talks candidly astir his transgression condemnation successful 2013 for cannabis production. MacDonald told the tribunal astatine the clip helium was utilizing the wealth from the cannabis to wage for a reassignment surgery. He was handed probation and a $1,000 fine, the justice noting that helium was going done a life-altering and hard process.

"It was for accumulation of cannabis and if you were to look up the documents, I killed astir of the plants. So I person tried to beryllium a amended gardener since past and haven't succeeded," helium said with a laugh.

The Conservative campaigner is Brycen Jenkins. He was calved and raised successful Pictou County and worked arsenic a welder and welding inspector earlier switching careers to go a existent property agent, according to his campaign website. He didn't reply to a petition from CBC News for an interrogation but has outlined immoderate of his priorities on his Facebook page.

"Young radical who can't spend a home. Seniors who can't spend to wage their bills. I cognize however hard you enactment each and each time and I cognize that you merit better. And that's wherefore I got into politics," 1 Facebook station reads.

Jenkins enjoyed immoderate high-profile enactment successful April from Conservative Peter MacKay — the Central Nova MP for 18 years — who posed for a photograph aft installing a Jenkins run sign. The national Conservative party's deputy leader, Melissa Lantsman, knocked connected doors successful Porters Lake with Jenkins connected April 10. The 2 posted a video connected Facebook saying radical successful the country are focused connected affordability and alteration successful Central Nova.

Last year, Fraser said helium was not going to tally for re-election successful Central Nova, saying helium wanted to walk much clip with his young family.

Then on came Mark Carney. Carney's unit called Fraser earlier this twelvemonth to accidental the Liberal person wanted him backmost successful the contention successful Central Nova. His unit suggested Fraser beryllium acceptable for a nonstop telephone from Carney.

The 2 came to an agreement, with Carney publically assuring Fraser he'd get to walk much nights astatine location than successful edifice rooms.

Fraser said it's cynical for anyone to deliberation he's backmost successful the contention lone due to the fact that the Liberals' fortunes successful the polls person taken a 180-degree crook since Donald Trump started talking astir Canada arsenic the 51st state.

"If you were funny successful a harmless thrust into elected politics, moving arsenic a Liberal successful Pictou County isn't astir apt the spot you'd prime to do."

As for what the candidates are proceeding from voters, it should travel arsenic nary astonishment that the American president has formed a agelong shadiness implicit the campaign.

"Most radical are beside themselves," Fraser said, adding voters are much engaged and are paying much attention.

MacDonald said helium hears that too. He said voters are inactive reasoning astir much accepted predetermination issues arsenic well.

"People privation to speech astir affordability, groceries, utilities, housing. So affordability is decidedly the apical precedence astir here," MacDonald said.

Three different candidates are besides moving successful the riding. Charlie MacEachern is representing the People's Party of Canada, Gerald Romsa is moving for the Greens and Alexander MacKenzie is moving arsenic an Independent.