A veteran Tory MLA is running for the Conservatives in Cape Breton-Canso in the upcoming fall election.
Alfie MacLeod received the party’s nomination Friday.
He says he decided to run because there’s a lot that needs to be done for the area, and the most funding available is through the federal government.
MacLeod tells The Hawk it’s important for federal officials to support rural infrastructure, and a major focus of the upcoming campaign will be Conservative leader Andrew Scheer’s plan for a national energy corridor.
“There’s no one part of our country that should be able to slow down growth and the ability for our country to grow,” he says. “I think the corridor is going to be a cornerstone of how we move forward, and that’ll help the economy of Atlantic Canada, and Cape Breton Island in particular.”
Macleod says he’s not concerned he’s running is a historically Liberal riding.
He says people want a change in leadership.
“As far as it being a Liberal stronghold for a number of years, the one good thing about that is the only way we can go is up,” he says. “I think that one of the things that I’ll bring to this whole thing is common sense, which sometimes is not that common.”
MacLeod says he wants to continue to support people in his provincial riding, while helping even more in the broader federal riding.
