Dexter the most unpopular premier in Canada

[TheNewTeddy]

http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/135077-dexter-bottoms-out-in-premiers-approval-poll

I'm wondering why?

In BC they had the HST, and in Ontario, we have McGunity, but why is Dexter so unpopular? What has he done or not done?

[socialist]

http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/135077-dexter-bottoms-out-in-premiers-approval-poll

I'm wondering why?

In BC they had the HST, and in Ontario, we have McGunity, but why is Dexter so unpopular? What has he done or not done?

this is just a distorted poll. the two best premiers in canada are dexter in NS and Selinger in MB. look at how manitoba is BOOMING under a progressive NDP government. That's what will happen to canada after 2015. finally.

[Newfoundlander]

this is just a distorted poll. the two best premiers in canada are dexter in NS and Selinger in MB. look at how manitoba is BOOMING under a progressive NDP government. That's what will happen to canada after 2015. finally.

Obviously your idea of best premier is a bit distorted seeing back to back polls have been horrible for Dexter and his party has fallen behind the Liberals despite an NDP bump across the country.

[TheNewTeddy]

You are both right... well half right.

NS is doing very well economically.

Dexter however has been unpopular for quite some time... despite that the NDP still does well in the polls. I'm wondering why?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Next_Nova_Scotia_general_election#Opinion_polls

In all but 2 polls since the last election, the NDP leads.

I've heard people don't like the NDP because it's too pro business, but that don't seem to make much sense.

As for booming provinces, provinces with good economic growth include SK, NL, and NS, while provinces with poor economic growth include NB, ON, and MB.

Edited September 13, 2012 by TheNewTeddy

[punked]

http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/135077-dexter-bottoms-out-in-premiers-approval-poll

I'm wondering why?

In BC they had the HST, and in Ontario, we have McGunity, but why is Dexter so unpopular? What has he done or not done?

NS is weird with a very polarized electorate. All three parties are competitive which means you can win an election with 32 percent of the depending on the slipt. It is hard in such a province to get a high approval rate. Although Dexter is outside that margin he has need error polled well after the election.

[Newfoundlander]

You are both right... well half right.

NS is doing very well economically.

Dexter however has been unpopular for quite some time... despite that the NDP still does well in the polls. I'm wondering why?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Next_Nova_Scotia_general_election#Opinion_polls

In all but 2 polls since the last election, the NDP leads.

I've heard people don't like the NDP because it's too pro business, but that don't seem to make much sense.

As for booming provinces, provinces with good economic growth include SK, NL, and NS, while provinces with poor economic growth include NB, ON, and MB.

How does NS have a good economy?

[TheNewTeddy]

http://www.rbc.com/economics/market/pdf/provfcst.pdf

The long-term outlook is good.

edited to include:

lowest unemployment in the atlantic, ability to make a surplus next year without dampening the economy, high disposable income for the area,

Edited September 14, 2012 by TheNewTeddy

[Newfoundlander]

http://www.rbc.com/economics/market/pdf/provfcst.pdf

The long-term outlook is good.

edited to include:

lowest unemployment in the atlantic, ability to make a surplus next year without dampening the economy, high disposable income for the area,

Pretty much thanks to the Conservatives shipbuilding contract. Their economy has been one of the worst, or the worst, performing in recent years.

[TheNewTeddy]

Are you suggesting this is why they don't like Dexter, cause, I still can't figure that out.

[Newfoundlander]

Are you suggesting this is why they don't like Dexter, cause, I still can't figure that out.

Well a bad economy doesn't help, people aren't usually happy when they don't have jobs. His decisions to throw money at a paper mill doesn't seem popular from the few comments I've seen from people. He has raised taxes, including the HST, and now that he's getting ready for an election he "says" he'll reduce it. Though New Democrats get on with their free tuition crap Nova Scotia has some of the highest post-secondary education rates after he got rid of the tuition freeze. I've seen Dippers complain about his "austerity" budgets. Spending hasn't risen much under him, and one thing I like that he does is he continues to reduce education funding for k-12 because of enrollment declines. There have also been issues over electoral boundaries, he lost his popular finance minister, and there are issues with them getting power from Muskrat Falls. While members of all parties were involved they have had a spending scandal in the province that has led former MLAs to go to jail, and forced Dexter himself to pay back money that was misspent.

[TheNewTeddy]

Sounds mostly like a case of expectations, as most governments have these minor screw ups.

Also sounds like there's no reason to say you are FOR him.

Edited September 15, 2012 by TheNewTeddy

[Newfoundlander]

Sounds mostly like a case of expectations, as most governments have these minor screw ups.

Also sounds like there's no reason to say you are FOR him.

Well I guess people in Nova Scotia get fed up with what you consider "minor screw ups".

People are upset with McGuinty wasting $180 million on power plants while Dexter is wasting $123 million on a paper mill, that'd be like McGuinty wasting roughly 1.6 billion. Dexter also gave $300 million to the Irving shipyard after they were awarded a multi billion dollar contract by the Feds.

Dexter also plans on moving government jobs out of Halifax and into rural areas, which I think pissed people off a lot.

[punked]

Pretty much thanks to the Conservatives shipbuilding contract. Their economy has been one of the worst, or the worst, performing in recent years.

You do know their is no contract for the next three years right? Get with the program. The NDP turned NS around but good governance which is often necessary is often not popular. Probably why this year will be the first time in 35 years NS has balanced their budget. We will see if the people of NS go with more Liberal and Conservative unbalanced and unsustainable budgets but I think the NDP are making hard decisions we always complain governments wont make.

[punked]

Well a bad economy doesn't help, people aren't usually happy when they don't have jobs. His decisions to throw money at a paper mill doesn't seem popular from the few comments I've seen from people. He has raised taxes, including the HST, and now that he's getting ready for an election he "says" he'll reduce it. Though New Democrats get on with their free tuition crap Nova Scotia has some of the highest post-secondary education rates after he got rid of the tuition freeze. I've seen Dippers complain about his "austerity" budgets. Spending hasn't risen much under him, and one thing I like that he does is he continues to reduce education funding for k-12 because of enrollment declines. There have also been issues over electoral boundaries, he lost his popular finance minister, and there are issues with them getting power from Muskrat Falls. While members of all parties were involved they have had a spending scandal in the province that has led former MLAs to go to jail, and forced Dexter himself to pay back money that was misspent.

He isn't promising to cut the HST because their is an election. He said when it was raised it was raised so the provinces didn't load its self up with new debt and he would cut it as soon as he could. You are just lying now.

[punked]

Well I guess people in Nova Scotia get fed up with what you consider "minor screw ups".

People are upset with McGuinty wasting $180 million on power plants while Dexter is wasting $123 million on a paper mill, that'd be like McGuinty wasting roughly 1.6 billion. Dexter also gave $300 million to the Irving shipyard after they were awarded a multi billion dollar contract by the Feds.

Dexter also plans on moving government jobs out of Halifax and into rural areas, which I think pissed people off a lot.

How is a Loan of 300 million giving anything. IT IS A LOAN IT IS TO BE PAID BACK. Much of the 180 million which will prevent the collapse of the forestry industry (which I might remind you is 10% of NS GDP when we look at spinoffs) is a loan. I am glade you are not in charge of NS because you would be looking to kill that province. No government in NS would not save that mill. I now see why you hate the NDP you are uninformed and don't look into the details of anything. You might be one of the most uninformed people on this board. Everything you are saying is WRONG!

Edited September 15, 2012 by punked

[Newfoundlander]

How is a Loan of 300 million giving anything. IT IS A LOAN IT IS TO BE PAID BACK. Much of the 180 million which will prevent the collapse of the forestry industry (which I might remind you is 20% of NS GDP) is a loan. I am glade you are not in charge of NS because you would be looking to kill that province. No government in NS would not save that mill. I now see why you hate the NDP you are uninformed and don't look into the details of anything. You might be one of the most uninformed people on this board. Everything you are saying is WRONG!

They've already lost tens of millions by trying to "save" a paper mill.

And what happen to New Democrats being opposed goth corporate welfare? Irving hardly needs the loan.

[punked]

They've already lost tens of millions by trying to "save" a paper mill.

And what happen to New Democrats being opposed goth corporate welfare? Irving hardly needs the loan.

This isn't about the paper mill. It is about the forestry industry and every person outside Halifax. If you want to see all of Cape Breton die this is a very very very good way to do it. Some 10,000 people in NS depend on that plant for some sort of income either directly or indirectly. That mill goes under those people aren't only out of jobs but the housing prices and other investments the people of that area have made come crashing down. Then NS isn't spending 100 million on getting this mill up and running for the next 20 to 30 years but they are spending that money on welfare programs in the area over the next 5-10 years. It isn't an easy decision but it is the only decision to be made.

As for the Irving's and if they do or don't need the loan. The loan was part of the package the Irving's submitted to win that ship building contract a 30 BILLION DOLLAR contract I remind you. Only an idiot would say a government shouldn't offer a low interest loan WHICH WILL BE PAID BACK to an industry that will bring in 30 BILLION dollars for 300 million. That Shipyard is still using some equipment that is 100 years old they were never going to win that contract with out upgrading and the government giving them a loan meant they could put in a lower bid (because the interest costs are lower) to win a 30 BILLION DOLLAR CONTRACT. Its easy after you win a bid that will reinvent your have not province to criticize but losing it WAS NOT AN OPTION FOR NS.

The people of NS might not like spending money and I understand why but here there aren't other options. It sucks but it is true. There is a lot the NDP has done not well your two big things are dead wrong.

[Newfoundlander]

The Liberals have a good website on how bad the NDP have been.

http://brokenrecordns.ca/the-ndp-have-the-economy-moving

[punked]

The Liberals have a good website on how bad the NDP have been.

http://brokenrecordns.ca/the-ndp-have-the-economy-moving

The Liberals in NS are run by a Frig repairman who wants to deregulate power because he doesn't know that every where that has been tried the power rates have gone up 80%. The Liberals are doing what they have always done in NS they are saying what they want to get elected. No wonder they never balanced a budget in 20 years they were in power from 1970-2000. They say what polls well and that is fine but they have wrecked that province and they are the reason 1 out of every 8 tax dollars in NS collected flows out of the province to service their debt. The NDP are the ONLY government in the last 35 years to put enough back onto that debt to pay it down so some of that interest can stay in NS. What was this Mans ideas the last election? Well it was to promise 1 BILLION more in spending on top of their already 1 billion dollar deficit. That was their idea add more to the deficit so the could get so half of all the tax money collected in NS would be spent on interest payments. The Liberals in NS are a horrible option if you look at their record and ideas.

The economy of NS isn't growing to fast but it also had the smallest loss of any province in Canada in the great recession. Context matters to those who care. Uninformed people like yourself wouldn't really care about context or good governance.

Edited September 15, 2012 by punked

[Newfoundlander]

Didn't Dexter also say stuff just to get elected?

Anyways I just gave my reasons why I believe he is unpopular, feel free to give yours Punked.

[punked]

Didn't Dexter also say stuff just to get elected?

Anyways I just gave my reasons why I believe he is unpopular, feel free to give yours Punked.

I know why he is unpopular. He is making the tough decisions like taking money out of the education system (which has had a 25% decline in the last 10 years) to get rid of a deficit that is built into the system. The NS economy outside of Halifax is hurting bad as the province under goes a transition there is not extra money to spend while there is a 3 year wait on the mega projects that will make it easier for future governments to either spend more or pay down their huge debt. Nat gas prices fell out of the basket the day the NDP was elected and the industry which was getting 14 dollars for every unit is now getting a dollar so 500 million that was flowing in NS is gone and now NAT gas is only bringing in 30 million.

It is fine the people of NS can elect someone else but I don't think the NDP are making bad decisions. I think they are making decisions for NS's future instead of paying the short game the Liberals and Conservatives have done which wrecked that province in the first place. Sometimes the road to a sustained and reinvented province is a long one and if you take short cuts like the Liberals promise to do it will only lead to bigger problems.

I think you are wrong on what you are saying and if you were in the same room Dexter has been and made the decisions he has you would have made the same ones. You aren't dumb you understand what a province needs. You are taking cheep shots because they are easy and who wouldn't.

Sometimes though a province needs a technocrat who puts policy over politics makes the hard decisions and gets crucified for it. NS had that in a Liberal named John Savage and he didn't do a bad job at all. In fact much of the modernization of NS in politics can be attributed to him. I think that is what Dexter is doing now, and I am glad he is because someone needs to set that province on the road to the future.

[Newfoundlander]

I don't agree with his corporate welfare policies, and from comments I've seen neither do many, and I don't disagree with some of his ideas. However, Teddy asked why he's unpopular and I gave him the reasons why I think he is. Whether they're good decisions for Nova Scotia's future or notes unpopular now because of them.

[kimmy]

Wow, I'm pretty amazed that anybody is less popular than Christy Clark.

-k

[punked]

I don't agree with his corporate welfare policies, and from comments I've seen neither do many, and I don't disagree with some of his ideas. However, Teddy asked why he's unpopular and I gave him the reasons why I think he is. Whether they're good decisions for Nova Scotia's future or notes unpopular now because of them.

What options are there? Lose a 25 billion dollar contract? Let 25 percent of NS die?

[Newfoundlander]

What options are there? Lose a 25 billion dollar contract? Let 25 percent of NS die?

Why would Irving need $300 million? As well the govt already invested in mills and they till closed, I don't agree with continued subsidies. I don't know much about what the plans for the paper mill are, do they have a plan outside throwing money at it?