The last of the three major Nova Scotian parties have announced their candidate for the riding of Queens.<\/p>\n
The NDP have chosen Mary Dahr to carry their banner in the next provincial election.<\/p>\n
Dahr has been involved with the NDP for over 20 years and feels the priority the party places on social issues will resonate with voters.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m hoping what I\u2019m saying is going to touch people\u2019s hearts and they\u2019re going to vote for me,\u201d said Dahr.<\/p>\n
Born in Queens, Dahr\u2019s family moved to Alberta when she was a child.<\/p>\n
After retiring from a career as a medical lab technician, she moved back to the region six years ago and currently works at White Point Beach and Resort.<\/p>\n
Dahr was inspired to put her name forward after learning of the desperate child poverty rates in Nova Scotia and in particular, Queens.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that when they announced child poverty in Nova Scotia, it seemed to me that nobody blinked,\u201d said Dahr. \u201cThere was no, oh, we have to do better. I didn\u2019t hear that at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t the first time Dahr has stood for the NDP provincially. She twice ran in Alberta and narrowly missed winning a seat when Rachel Notley led the party to power in 2015.<\/p>\n
Dahr says with a platform that includes a $15\/hr minimum wage, free tuition, increased social assistance rates and a commitment to find solutions for affordable housing, the Nova Scotia NDP under leader Gary Burrill are working to make the lives of everyday Nova Scotians better.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an honest and fair government that is looking out for the people of Nova Scotia, not just caring about the people who don\u2019t really need to be cared about, because they have all the money that they need,\u201d said Dahr. \u201cWe need to care about everybody in Nova Scotia and not leave anybody behind.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dahr joins Liberal candidate Susan MacLeod and PC Candidate and current MLA for Queens \u2013Shelburne Kim Masland in trying to win the re-established riding of Queens.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s up to Premier Iain Rankin to decide when the writ will drop.<\/p>\n
Rankin has until May to make the call but given the large and frequent number of funding announ cements coming out of government the past few weeks, speculation is high the election could be called soon.<\/p>\n