Elizabeth May promises to restore Canada Post delivery service

Green Party LeaderElizabeth May continued her campaign swing throughHalifax on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters this morning next toa community mailbox in Spryfield, May said her party wouldfight to restore home delivery cut by Canada Post.

"While letter service has gone down, postal service for packages has gone up. Canada Post is still profitable and yet we're told we can't afford daily service to our doors," she said.

"Our position as a party and as future members of parliament is to defend daily postal service."

May suggested the Crown corporation could improve its bottom line by providing online financial services, as post offices in Japan and other countries have done.

'Technical' recession not a surprise

News Tuesday from Statistics Canada that the country was in an official or "technical" recession for the first six months of this year did not come as a surprise to May.

"We are the only country in the industrialized world in a second recession since the 2008 financial disaster and I think the reason for that is clear," she said.

"It's due to Mr. Harper's failed economic strategies. I think he has to re-think his election campaign, 'stay the course with us.'The course with Stephen Harper's Conservatives is downhill and into another recession."

A recession is defined by six consecutive months of slow or no growth in the economy.

On Monday evening, it was standing room only at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic as people even squeezed onto the second floor to hear the Green's campaign promises straight from the party boss.

"We can save $11 billion a year in Canada by bringing in pharmacare," she said.

May also repeated promises to create a national liveable wage, promote energy-efficient home renovations and help alleviate student debt.

She called on voters to vote with their hearts,dismissing suggestions a Green vote is a throwaway vote.

She also pointed to recent provincial Green Party wins in Prince Edward Islandand New Brunswick.

"We've shown that in the Maritimes, Green candidates are electable. And I hope we're demonstrating in this election that our federal platform is more pragmatic, more exciting, and more inspiring than anything you'll hear from the other parties," said May

Supporters Monday night agreed. They say it's just a matter of getting people out tovote.

"We're going to have to beat the bushes and get the people out that have refused to vote before or never have voted before," Green Party supporter PaulBissonnatte said.

Mary-Helen Skowronski and her family were at May's event. Theyalso attended NDP LeaderThomas Mulcair's rally Sunday.

Skowronski saidMay came out on top.

"Like the policies of both parties, but I like the vibe of Elizabeth May, like her. What she's saying really makes a lot of sense to me. It resonates with me a lot," she said.

Elizabeth May speaks on pharmacare in Halifax

9 years ago

Duration 0:57

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May spoke at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax today and called for a national pharmacare program.

The Green Party leader's visit comes one day after NDP Leader Tom Mulcair campaigned in Halifax with a rally at the World Trade and Convention Centre that was attended by an estimated 1,000 party supporters.

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper was in Nova Scotia Aug. 16 for an event in Amherst.

Supporters wishing to attend that rally had to register in advance on the Conservative Party website to get tickets.The location was kept secret until the day before.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau visited Halifax on April 15, but has not yet visitedduring the current election campaign.

A Liberal spokesperson says Justin Trudeau plans to visit Nova Scotia during the campaign, but can't confirm dates too far in advance.