- MacPolitics: The Gall Of Freeland, Campaigns At A Pub Strange Backdrop Because As Finance Minister Continuously Hiked Alcohol Excise Taxes
By Andrew Macdonald
Nova Scotia Liberals are solidly behind front-runner Liberal leadership contender Mark Carney. Most of the province’s Liberal MPs, for example, are behind Carney.
And, when he recently campaigned in a whirlwind visit to Halifax, Enfield, Truro & Amherst large crowds of Liberals participated at his rallies – he drew 200 folk on a stormy day to hear him speak at the Enfield Legion.
Carney also drew a lot of media ink, and that included a Halifax press conference, where he said he would axe the carbon tax.
Polls show Carney is tied now with Tory Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.
Contrasting the strong showing in NS for Carney, recently his leadership opponent Chrystia Freeland campaigned here. You’d be hard pressed to know that, she did only one media interview with a TV station, and thus did not get any other media ink.
She was joined by Halifax West Liberal MP Lena Metlege Diab, who was overlooked for cabinet because she called out Israel over its war with Hamas, which brought criticism from the Atlantic Jewish Council, a powerful lobby org.
According to Metlege Diab, Freeland was joined by “small crowds”.
“Chrystia just wrapped up a great visit to Nova Scotia, where she connected with workers, business owners, and community leaders to talk about the issues that matter most to Maritimers as we head into the next federal election. She is so grateful for the warm welcome and East Coast hospitality.”
Here are some highlights from the visit:
“A spot of bad weather didn’t deter Chrystia from coming out to Nova Scotia on Heritage Day. Once she touched down in Halifax, Chrystia made her way to Freeman’s Little New York for a fantastic meet-and-greet event with supporters over pizza and drinks. During her visit, she connected with the team behind this beloved local institution to applaud their success and highlight how small businesses like theirs are at the heart of her vision for a stronger, more resilient, and self-sufficient Canadian economy,” added Metlege Diab.
The backdrop of a pub for a Freeland campaign event seems rather odd, since Freeland as Finance minister each April 1 would hike alcohol excise taxes on booze.
“After wrapping up at the TV studio, Chrystia joined me and some more engaged Liberals for another small gathering in the evening to share more about her plans to strengthen the Liberal Party of Canada and the country,” said Metlege Diab.
Chrystia Freeland is running for Liberal leader. (Contributed).
200 people at the Mark Carney event Friday, Jan 31st at noon at the Enfield Legion.
