"The liberty of the individual must be thus far limited; he must not make himself a nuisance to other people." - John Stuart Mill, On Liberty

These are the Atlantica Party's guiding principles:

• All individuals have the same inherent rights.
• Our current political system produces poor decisions and needs reform.
• We need more citizen involvement.
• Nova Scotia can be a wealthy "have province" using the free market.

1. The Atlantica Party believes the free market can expand our economy, which will expand tax revenues allowing the government to enhance services and/or lower taxes. To accomplish this, we need to unleash our entrepreneurs: 

• Reduce or eliminate business taxes. Put money back into the pockets of the people who create opportunity and wealth. This will also encourage business to move here.
• Reintroduce the Balanced Budget Act to ensure we live within our means and do not borrow on our children's future. 
• Engage in a ten-year debt elimination plan to eliminate our sizable annual interest expense, which reduces spending on government services such as health care.
• Privatize the cannabis and alcohol business. Let the free market provide better pricing, better supply, and opportunities for local businesses.
• Encourage regional private venture capital and start-up support for entrepreneurs.
• Limit government spending growth to the rate of population growth.
• Investigate a flat tax for Nova Scotia. This will make paying taxes simple, close loopholes for the wealthy, and ensure taxation is fair. It also makes raising taxes a very obvious undertaking.
• NOTE: AP has presented balanced budgets that accomplish all these things. These changes are very doable!

2. The Atlantica Party supports open debate on the use of our natural resources, including fossil fuels: 

• Implement the most efficient and environmentally responsible practices possible. Nova Scotia is fortunate to have many resources available for our prudent use; they can significantly improve our economy and improve the quality of life for every Nova Scotian. Let the people decide after a public debate.

3. Government should work for you. We need: 

• A free Legislature with a full separation of powers to oversee all government actions. Currently, the government manipulates the Legislature to get what it wants. Only an independent Legislature can halt bad policies by voting them down and encourage good polices.
• An end to coercive secret voting, all votes must be free votes in the Legislature reported in real-time. Right now, you have no voting record for your MLA. How are they voting?
• A reformed electoral system to encourage citizens to vote and to serve as MLAs. Voter participation has been dropping for years.
• Constituents empowered to trigger a by-election (without the Premier's permission) if they become dissatisfied with an MLA's actions. This will ensure the MLA is not just a creature of the party and can safely ignore the people's views.
• The ability for Nova Scotians to organize binding referenda on topics of interest to them such as daylight savings time or clearcutting without political interference. 
• A written Constitution that states clearly "who can do what". Think pro-rogation.

4. Money & MLAs

• End the taxpayer money-per-vote handout for political parties. Let the parties raise their funds from their supporters.
• Replace the current pension 22-to-1 (!) scheme with a 1-to-1 RRSP plan in which MLAs and taxpayers contribute. This is the same pension scheme most working Nova Scotians have.
• Ensure MLAs who have committed a felony crime while in office be stripped of their pension privileges. No brainer.
• Have an independent citizen panel review MLA salaries and tie increases to, say, inflation. Tie salary bonuses to reasonable economic indicators such as wealth creation per capita. (Currently, they decide their salaries and benefits!)

5. Forward Progress

• Make Nova Scotia a leader in fulfilling Access to Information requests.
• Encourage school choice.

The Atlantica Party is Nova Scotia's newest registered political party. The Atlantica Party is Nova Scotia's only political alternative committed to transforming Nova Scotia's democracy and making Nova Scotia a have province.