Posts from Atlantica

Today Nova Scotians vote in a rare summer election. 

“That we have the vote means nothing. That we use it in the right way means everything.” - Lou Henry Hoover

Unfortunately, Nova Scotia elections are the one and ONLY time that your political opinion counts so make it count! It could be years before you have this chance again. Don’t waste it!

The Atlantica Party will introduce a balanced budget law in Nova Scotia. This will ensure all budgets are balanced or surplus budgets. The new law will also ban any borrowing by the provincial government unless it is to service the existing debt load. 

“Government has no business borrowing money”, said Jonathan Dean, Leader of the Atlantica Party. "Unlike most entities the government with assent of the Legislature has the power to increase revenue by raising taxes. If government wants to overspend then it must raise the funds through new direct taxation of Nova Scotians.”

The Atlantica Party is the only Nova Scotia political party that supports citizen led binding referenda. 

“The Atlantica Party believes citizens have the right bring forward issues for a binding vote,” said Jonathan Dean, Leader of the Atlantica Party. “This will allow the citizenry to push issues forward despite political game playing by the old-fashioned parties.”

Yesterday Liberal Nova Scotia Premier Iain Rankin proposed a “ScotiaPass” provincial vaccine passport for Nova Scotians.

The Atlantica Party opposes this invasive proposal for numerous common sense reasons:

The Atlantica Party will bring the Nova Scotia liquor industry into the 21st Century by having government vacate both the retail and wholesale liquor business and turn them over to the private market. 

This means any individual, family, entrepreneur, startup, company can sell and/or import and/or make liquor provided appropriate standards are maintained. An Atlantica Party government will sell off the assets of the NSLC to the highest bidder. As a result, many benefits will accrue to Nova Scotians: 

The Atlantica Party will end the routine secret voting in the Nova Scotia Legislature. 

Secret voting in the Legislature is not the exception but the overwhelming rule. Over a six-year period, out of 853 votes, only 12 were recorded, while the other 841 were kept secret and not disclosed. Nova Scotia taxpayers have a right to know how their representatives vote.

The Atlantica Party (AP) supports eliminating business taxes in Nova Scotia. "Let's put money back into the pockets of the people who create opportunity and wealth," said Jonathan Dean, Leader of the Atlantica Party. "This will also encourage businesses to move here and grow the economy."

Currently, Corporate Income Tax in Nova Scotia represents only 3.6% of government revenues. 

The Atlantica Party supports making Nova Scotia a leader in fulfilling Freedom of Information requests. 

Once again, Nova Scotia lags behind the rest of the country by not having its Information and Privacy Commissioner independent. "Government information is funded by taxpayers and therefore the property of Nova Scotians," said Jonathan Dean, Leader of the Atlantica Party. "If someone requests a copy, the government has no right to withhold it."

The Atlantica Party will reform Nova Scotia's electoral system and make elections fairer. 

With more than two parties competing in elections, the First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) system has broken down and no longer accurately reflects the wishes of Nova Scotians. 

The Atlantica Party recommends that the government and NSLC vacate the cannabis business and turn it over entirely to Nova Scotian entrepreneurs. 

This means any private Nova Scotia individual or group could start an entity to grow, manufacture and sell cannabis products. The government's role should be relegated to helping build the industry through licensing, providing standards and law enforcement.