Nova Scotia Liberals would put province’s shipbuilding industry in jeopardy, union alleges
by Canadian Manufacturing Daily Staff
Comments come after party leader criticized government investment in Irving Shipbuilding
HALIFAX—The recently formed Unifor mega-union is accusing the Liberal Party of Nova Scotia of putting the future of the province’s shipbuilding industry in jeopardy if the party wins next month’s election.
The accusation from the union—created this year as a merger between the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) and Communications, Energy and Paperworkers (CEP) unions—comes after party leader Stephen McNeil criticized a provincial loan to Irving Shipbuilding during a leadership debate.
“McNeil is carelessly jeopardizing future investments for our province and with it thousands of jobs,” Unifor Halifax area director Les Holloway said in a statement.
The statement from Unifor came after McNeil said the government financial support for the shipyard led to nothing more than “a parking lot at the end of the road” for the federal National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS).
The union called the comment “reprehensible and irresponsible,” and said it is concerned for the fate of future investment in the province if the Liberals take government following the election.
Under the CAW banner, the union spent years campaigning for the revitalization of the province’s shipyards.
“McNeil and his reckless, say-anything attitude is putting all that hard work at risk,” Holloway said.
