NDP platform intentionally misleading, MacDonald says

Tory Leader Rodney MacDonald accused the New Democratic Party on Wednesday of intentionally misleading Nova Scotians about the true cost of its platform.

MacDonald said the New Democrats of have no plan to deal with the current global economic recession and that it would actually drive the province deeper into debt.

On Tuesday, NDP Leader Darrell Dexter unveiled a platform he said would cost taxpayers $80 million.

Dexter said he would be able to find the money to pay for his party’s platform without having to increase the debt or raise taxes.

MacDonald focused his criticism on the NDP promise to spend only $4 million on repaving secondary roads.

"They don't understand rural Nova Scotia. They don't understand the highway system," MacDonald said. "They don't understand what the needs are and clearly we need a lot of work out there on many roads in Nova Scotia," he said.

MacDonald said New Democrats' price tag to implement its election platform was inaccurate and promised to invest the necessary money to repave secondary roads throughout the province.

Dexter brushes aside criticism

Dexter brushed aside criticism from both the Liberal and PC party leaders that the NDP platform was dishonest.

Dexter said an NDP provincial government would be different from the governing Tory party.

"The fundamental difference, I think, will be that we will be honest with the people of Nova Scotia and we will identify clearly what the Conservative government has done — they have created a deficit," Dexter said on Wednesday.

Dexter pointed out the governing Tories were defeated after they lost a vote on a key government bill that would have allowed the MacDonald government to spend money that was earmarked to pay down the province's debt.

Dexter said MacDonald had his chance to lead but let down the people of the province.