The Atlantica Party is returning to Nova Scotia’s political landscape with former leader Jonathan Dean at the helm. Dean, who co-founded the Atlantica Party in 2006, resigned as leader two years ago after growing discord within the Party executive over Atlantica’s direction, prompting him to step away entirely.
“I was not going to lead a boring party,” said Dean, a long-time investment researcher who opened his own consulting practice after leaving the Party.
“I’ve always believed the Atlantica Party should stay true to its transformative core vision of smaller, more transparent and more democratic government with greater accountability to citizens,” he said. “From the very beginning, all of our policies were guided by those principles.”
With a new executive in place, the Party conducted a membership survey in June. Dean said many Nova Scotians value the Party’s direction, but have been disappointed by the sense that “government commitments begin and end with election campaigns.”
“Right now, we have a provincial government that campaigned on transparency then effectively shut down any democratic accountability by cancelling legislature committee meetings for six months during a global pandemic,” he said. “To say some voters are disillusioned with politicians right now is an understatement.”
Dean said they are working to build on the momentum from the last provincial election when the Party had the best results in its history. He said the goal is to present Nova Scotians with “a common sense alternative” the next time they go to the polls. This includes a pro-market approach to business, and a greater emphasis on democracy and good decision-making.
Party president Darryl Skeard said there is a lot of excitement around Dean’s return, and that plans are underway for a virtual annual general meeting designed to unite both new and long-time party members.
“It’s a new era, but with Jonathan returning as leader, it’s also a re-commitment to our roots,” said Skeard. “Jonathan has the vision, experience and solid integrity we need.”
To arrange an interview with Jonathan Dean, please contact:
info@atlanticaparty.ca
For more information on the Atlantica Party, policy briefs, or to get involved, visit atlanticaparty.ca, facebook.com/AtlanticaPartyNS/ and twitter.com/AtlanticaParty.