This House Would Recognize That The NDP Should Lose the 2009 Nova Scotia Election

Allow me to now to destroy side government's case. Argument #1; What my opponent fails to recognize is that despite not forming government in the previous two elections, NDP have made a steady gain the polls and in the legislature. Polls of the province put him in first place with a comfortable lead in terms of the strongest leader. But previous standings are largely irrelevant as this election campaign is a time for the NDP to prove that they are unequivocally better than the competition, which I will expand upon later. Argument #2 My opponent again thinks he can win this debate by concentrating how the NDP -won't- win, despite being predicted by every poll to form a minority government and possibly even a majority one. My opponent has made some unfounded claims as to which seats the NDP will and will not win. His argument hinges on our inability to pick up seats outside of metro centers and in response to this I the quote of the infamous lackluster prime minister, Pierre Trudeau; "Just watch me." Argument #3; My opponent argues that because Michael Ignatieff is popular, the NDP cannot win. This is, of course, a ludicrous accusation as the provincial Liberal leader Steven McNeil does not resemble Ignatieff in any way, nor would I acknowledge that doing so would be an asset. I would rebut this claim by suggesting that the country is fed-up with Conservative rule and that, as such, the country will make a shift to the left. I realize that such an argument is unfounded, and I wonder why opponent makes a similar one. The fact of the matter is that my opponent is at a loss. He has no platform to stand on and thus relies on previous election results and relies on the Liberal party's only crutch; Steven McNeil. He has said nothing of the only real competitor to the NDP; the Progressive Conservative party. Nova Scotians have sat idly by for the past several months as Province House has been locked, as the legislature has not been in session. This begs to the question; why would I pay the salary of a government who does not meet to do the job I paid them to do? Decisions to adjourn the legislature rests in the government, so I would suggest that, just as in any employment, the employee who does not show up for work should be fired. Furthermore, I would point to the various examples of poor job performance on the part of Rodney MacDonald's government. When Ernie Fage, a minister, hit another man's car while likely under the influence of alcohol, what did Rodney's government do? It kept it to themselves, even though the crime had not yet been reported to police. A scandal as such is disingenuous at best, criminal at worst. What of Rodney's endless fight for the Nova Scotian family? Stolen right from the NDP handbook. Getting rid of the tax on home heating was a demand of the NDP to which Rodney said 'no.' But when it was clear that this is what the people wanted, Rodney waited...and waited...and waited...until...Election time! Then again, he did cut the program after he had won another minority government. Of course, Rodney's bribes to the people have become an important tenet of his leadership. As during the last election and this one, Rodney's new plans to spend billions on healthcare and education rip apart any assertions he has made about being fiscally responsible. What's more, this dolling out of money has been masked by a sudden infusion of money into the province, but where did it come from? It of course is our offshore revenue that John Hamm, his predecessor, allocated to pay down debt. I hardly think cooking the books to cover up a politically-unviable deficit is the way any public employee should be acting. Speaking of criminals, justice minister Cecil Clark has now released not one, not two but THREE convicted violent offenders from prison. Convicted of crimes such as assault, aggravated assault, rape and unauthorized possession of a firearm, three prisoners were simply allowed to leave as corrections officials deemed the paperwork too much, um, work. Cecil Clark, knowing such a massive slip up was under his jurisdiction, offered to resign. Rodney simply wouldn't have it, because allowing the one who made the mistake to fess up isn't the Conservative way. Now I realize I have made this debate increasingly negative and for that I apologize, but it needs to be done. Darrell Dexter has distances himself from this, from the 'Risky NDP' smear campaign and from Rodney Macdonald's reign of incompetence. Rather, Dexter has shown a tremendous ability to stay on message and history has vindicated him. Dexter's calls to cut the tax for home heating were finally heeded by the government, although once the program was poorly implemented, the political tides changed and criticized the PCs once more so the government merely cut the program. The NDP represents a party who will work to do things right the first time and not give up because things don't go their way. Furthermore, a government under Dexter would mean a government that cares about climate change, a government that would take the rest of Canada's lead and introduce a cap and trade system that would cut carbon emissions while spurring investment. The other option would be to follow the Liberal path and shove a carbon tax onto the front porches of every man, woman and child in Nova Scotia during already tough economic times. On the topic of economic growth, Dexter wants to give money back to manufacturers because he recognizes that the small companies that populate Nova Scotia create jobs and make us competitive once more. Dexter also recognizes the importance in investing in the care for seniors and reversing the shocking decline in care. He will also ensure that post-secondary education becomes affordable once more so that families do not need to make large sacrifices so that their child can make a life for themselves like everyone deserves to be able to do. I invite my opponent to tell me why the NDP do not deserve to enact the legislation that should have been passed 6 years ago and fix the legislation that was enacted poorly by Rodney and his criminal cronies.