Liberal, Tory contest in Cumberland-Colchester mirrors national race

Taryn Grant · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 14, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Midway done the predetermination campaign, astatine a section candidates statement successful Truro, the Conservative incumbent successful Cumberland-Colchester and a first-time Liberal campaigner went toed to toe.

Liberal Alana Hirtle accused Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of wanting to "cut each programme successful wellness care." Conservative Stephen Ellis countered that the assertion was "misinformation."

Ellis said the Trudeau government's 9 consecutive shortage budgets person resulted successful "unsustainable" debt, and suggested his party's policies connected assets improvement could counteract the precocious outgo of indebtedness servicing. Hirtle said spending by her enactment shows that it wants to "invest."

Candidates for the NDP and Green Party besides participated successful the debate, hosted by the Truro and Colchester Chamber of Commerce, though neither drew the ire of immoderate of their competitors.

It was emblematic of the two-way contention happening connected the nationalist signifier – a microcosm of which is taking signifier successful this bluish Nova Scotia riding.

Ellis runs connected affordability, wellness care

Decades ago, the riding mightiness person been considered a bluish stronghold, but it hasn't been that mode successful astir 20 years. In that time, voters person moved done Conservative, Independent and Liberal MPs, and person doubly dumped incumbents to power parties.

Ellis was archetypal elected successful 2021, beating retired one-term Liberal MP Lenore Zann.

He said he's moving again due to the fact that helium wants to assistance code the precocious outgo of living, which helium said is the No. 1 contented helium hears astir connected the doorstep. He besides wants to proceed the enactment helium started arsenic Conservative wellness critic.

Ellis was a household doc successful Truro for astir 20 years until helium ran for Parliament successful 2021. Health attraction is managed by provincial governments, but Ellis said provincial "silos" are preventing improvements.

"We request to person large enactment astatine the national level," helium said successful an interrogation pursuing the debate.

He said the Liberal authorities of the past 10 years has not provided that leadership.

Hirtle advocates for tiny business, Carney leadership

Hirtle said she's a longtime Liberal protagonist and has talked astir moving for galore years, but this is her archetypal go. 

Some cognize her for her contributions to fundraising and organizing the operation of a playground and assemblage centre for the assemblage of Portapique successful the aftermath of the 2020 wide shooting.

Her time occupation is with the Community Business Development Corporation, a federally funded programme that helps tiny businesses and startups. She said that acquisition is simply a large portion of what motivated her to run.

"People person been going to different parts of the state for a agelong time," she said successful an interrogation astatine her run office. "It's clip to bring them backmost location and assistance them to recognize that they tin commencement businesses, they tin person lives present arsenic well."

Another large motivator for Hirtle is Carney. She said galore of the voters she's met and listened to during the run are predominantly disquieted astir tariffs and threats of annexation from the U.S. President Donald Trump.

"[Carney] has got a steadfast manus connected the rudder and he's going to assistance america done this hard concern to marque definite that we bash person the champion accidental of success," Hirtle said, echoing a ascendant run connection from her party.

Data aggregators including 338Canada.com and TheWrit.ca bespeak the contention betwixt Ellis and Hirtle. Both had Cumberland-Colchester arsenic a toss-up successful the 3rd week of the campaign.

Toss-up is inactive the projection from 338Canada. The Writ, which is tally by Eric Grenier, who besides runs CBC's Poll Tracker, precocious bumped the projection to Conservative-leaning.

NDP campaigner runs for 13th time

No enactment different than the Liberals oregon Conservatives has been competitory successful Cumberland-Colchester successful immoderate caller election, but that doesn't fuss NDP campaigner Larry Duchesne.

Duchesne said helium wouldn't stake connected himself to win, but helium stepped up for the enactment anyhow due to the fact that helium believes successful its values and helium has tons of run experience. Not counting this one, Duchesne has tally for the NDP successful 12 national and provincial elections successful Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island since the 1970s.

"I cognize that adjacent though we don't get elected successful each the campaigns we tally in, we're making a difference," helium said, pointing to dental attraction and pharmacare, which came retired of a Liberal-NDP pact.

He said helium sees the run arsenic an accidental to speech astir the NDP, arsenic good arsenic his "pet" biology issue, glyphosate spraying. 

Health Canada says the communal herbicide poses nary risks to quality wellness erstwhile utilized properly. Duchesne wants Ottawa to bash a "stronger probe into the information of it."

Kelly-Ann Callaghan is moving for the Greens. Callaghan lives successful Shelburne, N.S., which is much than 200 kilometres from Cumberland-Colchester. She said the Green information was contested successful her location riding, truthful she conceded and volunteered to tally wherever the enactment mightiness request her.

She said she's moving chiefly retired of interest for wide lodging insecurity and homelessness.

Paul Church is moving for the People's Party.