The party promises to create a Centre for Agriculture Ventures and Enterprises
Nova Scotians head to the polls on Nov. 26 to decide whether to provide Tim Houston and the Conservatives with another mandate or to elect the NDP or Liberals.
Leading up to election day, Farms.com will comb through each party’s platform to find out what it has in store for the province’s ag sector and rural communities.
First up is the Liberals, led by Zach Churchill.
To reduce the pressure on community infrastructure like hospitals, the Liberals commit to ensuring immigration targets are “focused on growing the number of professionals we need in critical areas…,” the party’s platform says.
One of those areas includes agriculture and aquaculture workers.
In 2022, Nova Scotia had 6,426 agricultural workers. About 1,735 were temporary foreign workers.
A Liberal government in Nova Scotia promises to support the wine industry, which averages $245 million in annual economic impact.
This would come from a direct subsidy to help wineries stay competitive with international competitors.
Other measures for the wine sector include “developing a provincial replanting and management strategy.,” the platform says. “And we will reinstate the Wine Development Board to build and maintain a strong relationship between government and industry, and support the sector’s continued success.”
The government of the day created the board in 2014 to identify barriers and opportunities, and provide advice on government legislation.
A Zach Churchill government is committed to supporting agriculture overall in the province, an industry that had $752 million in farm cash receipts in 2022.
This support would be in the form of a new venture.
“We will develop a Centre for Agriculture Ventures and Enterprises that will bring together different levels of government, post-secondary institutions, and farmers to find innovative ways to support our farms,” the party’s platform says.
Mental health and climate change would be top priorities, it adds.
Other steps the Liberals plan to take include stopping payments to Sobeys as part of the Nova Scotia Loyal program, and directing that money to marketing for local products.
And investing $10 million to expand affordable food programs across the province, which would include buying excess food from farmers to sell directly to consumers.
The Liberals also have plans to support rural communities too.
In terms of grocery competition, a Liberal government would ban “restrictive covenants” that determine where grocery stores can be built. This would improve availability in all areas of the province, “especially in rural areas,” the platform says.
Zach Churchill’s party also commits to investing in rural transportation and rural roads.
Check Farms.com leading up to election day for coverage of the Nova Scotia Conservative and NDP platforms.