Photo features Megan Leslie, right, and Lt. Robert Jeffrey of the Salvation Army. Photo courtesy Robert Jeffrey.
On March 17, Halifax MP Megan Leslie held a town hall meeting for the community at the Salvation Army Family Resource Centre on Herring Cove Road.
About 25 people came out, mostly from the Spryfield area.
In response to the top issue of the day – a possible election – Megan said that she felt there would “probably” be one soon. She stated that the next week will determine what will happen, but if the budget does not pass, an election could be held in early May.
Megan also took questions and updated the community about the NDP’s position on a number of issues. Some of the issues raised included:
-Anti-Human smuggling bill, where several people raised concerns that the bill would come down harshly on refugees and legitimate immigrants. Megan said that the NDP has attempted to block the bill but has had little success so far, and intends to continue the campaign.
-A no-fly zone and Canada’s involvement in Libya. A member of the Marxist-Leninist party said that he felt this was the equivalent of going to war and was strongly against Canada’s involvement. Megan replied that the NDP’s position is to support the no-fly zone.
-A question was asked about stadiums and the federal government’s statement that it will not fund professional sports stadiums, and what the NDP’s position was on this as Halifax seeks a stadium in advance of the 2015 FIFA women’s world cup. Megan said that the NDP’s position is that it doesn’t support stadiums that are built for a professional franchise like the NHL, but she doesn’t consider (or believe the government considers) Halifax’s stadium to fall in that category. Even though the stadium might be built in time for the 2015 women’s world cup, she likened the situation to the public Canada Games centre.
P.S. People in Ketch Harbour and Sambro: Megan asked me particularly if I had a good source of events listings at churches out your way, as she enjoys swordfish dinners and Auction 45 games. She said she would go to those events more often if she could, but her information (like mine) comes in bits and pieces. So if you would like more opportunities to bend your MP’s ear, don’t hesitate to send me your schedule!
