Anti-Trudeau sentiment a problem for Liberals in Clare

Throughout the Nova Scotia election, the Progressive Conservatives have tried to capitalize on the unpopularity of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and dissatisfaction with the federal Liberal Party.

PC Leader Tim Houston has repeatedly accused the leader of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party, Zach Churchill, of being "beholden" to Trudeau and the federal party.

One region where that tactic could bear fruit for the PCs is southwestern Nova Scotia, where there's growing concerns and anger about what many people say is an illegal, out-of-season lobster fishery taking place with little response from Ottawa.

And that's a problem for Liberals in Clare, who are trying to keep a stronghold for the party from slipping from their grasp.

The district, which stretches along St. Marys Bay in southwestern Nova Scotia, is home to several Acadian communities that have been staunch Liberal Party supporters. It has been 31 years since the area was represented by a Progressive Conservative, when Guy LeBlanc lost to Wayne Gaudet in 1993.

Gaudet, who sat in cabinet, held the seat for the next 20 years.

A redrawn electoral map to include Digby, along with new Liberal candidate Gordon Wilson, did not hurt the party's fortunes in 2013, nor did a return to the old boundaries in the last election as Wilson quit politics.

That 2021 vote saw Liberal candidate Ronnie LeBlanc, a local fisherman and former municipal warden, win the seat by a mere 301 votes — a much smaller margin than the party had enjoyed in prior elections.

Despite the fact he's being challenged by a rookie PC candidate and a New Democrat architecture student with no direct ties to the riding, LeBlanc admits he's in a fight to hold on to his seat.

"People are very concerned as they watch thousands and thousands of pounds [of lobster] being removed from St. Marys Bay," LeBlanc recently told a Radio-Canada reporter.

"They're not sure what the impact will be when the season opens."

The season is scheduled to open in the region on Monday, one day before the Nov. 26 election.

According to LeBlanc, the state of the lobster fishery is one of the top issues he hears on the doorstep in this region, where no industry is a bigger contributor to the local economy.

"Health care, housing and cost of living, and locally the lobster fishery is a big issue when I'm knocking [on] doors," said LeBlanc.

"The issue for us is that the [federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans] is not there monitoring the situation or enforcing the laws, and on the provincial side we feel that there should be more enforcement when it comes to the buyers."

LeBlanc's party is advocating for a crackdown on buyers who break the law and will lobby Ottawa for the creation of a royal commission on illegal fishing.

DFO, meanwhile, has pushed back against criticism from the commercial fishing sector that enforcement has been inadequate.

Cost of living, concerns about illegal fishing

PC candidate Ryan Robicheau shares some of LeBlanc's concerns.

Although this is the first time Robicheau has put his name on a ballot, the 31-year-old community development officer has been a PC Party member since he was 13.

Robicheau said he's using the lessons he learned volunteering on other campaigns now that it's his name on lawn signs.

"People are excited to see a new generation of representation here in our community," he said. "They see the progress that the PC government has done in the last three years and they want that growth in Clare, as well."

He agreed with LeBlanc on two of the major issues in the riding: the cost of living and concerns about illegal fishing.

Robicheau said the people he's talked to want the province to put more pressure on the federal government to crack down on the problem.

"The local fishermen, and even people in the community — they want a voice at the table. So if we have another PC government, we want our local voice at that table so that we can voice the concerns and opinions of our people here in our riding."

LeBlanc conceded the criticism over enforcement, coupled with the Trudeau government's unpopularity, is not helping him in this campaign.

"There's no question there is a bit of drag from the unpopularity of the federal government, but in the end we're electing a Nova Scotia government," he said.

The NDP said its candidate for Clare, Dre Taylor, was unavailable for an interview.