Singh and May are welcome in N.S. campaign, but Trudeau and Poilievre not so much

Voters in Nova Scotia hoping to meet a national political party leader during the provincial election will find limited opportunities, unless they support the NDP or the Greens.

The Liberals and Progressive Conservatives (PCs) have shown no interest in involving their federal counterparts—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, respectively—in their campaigns. On Monday, both PC Leader Tim Houston and Liberal Leader Zach Churchill made it clear they would not be seeking Ottawa’s support on the campaign trail.

"I have no intention of inviting the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada to campaign with me," said Houston.

"No, we don't plan on doing that," Churchill responded similarly.

Houston took the opportunity to underscore the independence of the Nova Scotia PC Party from the federal Conservatives, stating, "There is no federal equivalent to the Nova Scotia PC Party. I'm the leader of the Nova Scotia Progressive Conservatives. There is a Conservative Party of Canada. It's a completely different party with its own leader."

Churchill echoed this stance, emphasizing the distinct nature of the provincial Liberal campaign. "We're running our own campaign," he said at his party’s platform launch. "We want to make it very clear we're standing on our plan, on our commitments, on this contract that we have with Nova Scotians."

In Nova Scotia, strong party affiliations often blur the line between provincial and federal counterparts, with supporters and political staffers frequently participating in both federal and provincial campaigns, even traveling out of province to help during elections.

So far, Jagmeet Singh, the federal NDP leader, is the only national leader to visit Nova Scotia during this election. He recently campaigned with Nova Scotia NDP Leader Claudia Chender, who described Singh as "our federal leader and a friend." Chender emphasized that Singh’s focus on issues like the dental care program resonates with Nova Scotians. "We hear on the doorsteps about how happy people are about things like the dental care program,” she said. “We hear how eager people are for Nova Scotia to sign on to the pharmacare program and ensure that all women in this province have free birth control."

The Green Party of Nova Scotia also plans to welcome its national leader, Elizabeth May, a Nova Scotia native, closer to election day. Nova Scotia Green Party Leader Anthony Edmonds described May as a valuable figure to highlight the party’s values-based approach, which includes sustainability and social justice. "The Green movement is values-based, so we will always welcome voices who share our values, especially those with deep roots in Nova Scotia like Elizabeth May," Edmonds wrote in an email.

Throughout the campaign, the Nova Scotia Conservatives have frequently accused Churchill of being more aligned with federal Liberal interests than those of Nova Scotians. On Monday, Houston extended this critique to both Churchill and Chender, saying, "It would be a welcome sight if either Mr. Churchill or Miss Chender would put Nova Scotians before their party politics." Houston also stated that his decision to call the election eight months early was aimed at strengthening the province’s position in negotiations with Ottawa.

Churchill dismissed this accusation, calling it an attempt by Houston to "trick and fool people that this provincial election has something to do with who's governing Ottawa or the country. It doesn't," Churchill said.

Federal leaders have previously joined provincial campaigns in Nova Scotia, such as former NDP leader Jack Layton’s support for Darrell Dexter in 2009, and Justin Trudeau’s appearance alongside former Liberal leader Stephen McNeil in 2013, shortly after Trudeau took over as leader of the federal party.