HALIFAX—The Nova Scotia NDP is looking to take back the federal riding of Halifax in the upcoming election, declaring anti-poverty advocate Christine Saulnier as its candidate in a nomination meeting on Sunday.

“I’m so proud to accept the nomination to be the federal NDP candidate for Halifax. Thank you so much,” said Saulnier in a speech, addressing over 100 party members gathered in the McInnes Room in the Dalhousie Student Union Building.

“It’s clear that we have a lot of work to do. We need to address all the injustice in the world so we can have peace. Without addressing injustice, there is no peace in our world.”

No one else put forward their name for the NDP nomination.

Saulnier, a rookie politician and the Nova Scotia director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, said she’s “disappointed” in the leadership of Andy Fillmore, the current Liberal MP for the Halifax riding.

She said she was let down by what she said is a failure to address issues in health care, climate change, poverty, and reconciliation with Indigenous people.

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“We do need to do more to make our city, stronger, healthier, and more inclusive for everyone,” she said.

Saulnier first announced her intention to run in the election in February. On Sunday, she was officially nominated by her friend Lillian Loppie, who works with the North End Community Health Centre. That nomination was seconded by Madeleine Saulnier-Gallant, Saulnier’s daughter.

The federal Halifax riding has been NDP-friendly for years, with Alexa McDonough serving as MP from 1997 to 2008, and Megan Leslie serving from 2008 until her defeat to Fillmore in 2015.

“I want to continue the tradition of strong, social democratic women MPs, who so boldly represented our city’s dreams and values,” said Saulnier during her speech.

As part of her platform, Saulnier said the party would commit to more funding for health care “that actually reflects the needs in our community,” like more primary health care and mental health-care services, along with universal pharmacare.

She also said she would focus on implementing affordable education and addressing climate change by creating green jobs and investing in green energy — initiatives that she said would be funded by “progressive, fair taxation.”

In the next federal election, Saulnier will be going up against Fillmore, as well as Progressive Conservative candidate Bruce Holland, a business advocate and the executive director of Spryfield Business Commission. He announced that he would be throwing his hat in the ring at the end of March.

In an interview, Saulnier said that she would set herself apart from the other candidates by connecting with people living in Halifax and learning more about what they want.

“I’m really focusing on listening to what Haligonians have to say: what concerns them, what keeps them up at night, what’s their vision for our city, and how we can make that happen,” she said.

“It’s really about social democracy, which, for me, is actually about caring for each other. It’s figuring out what federal policy, what funding, what programs we need in place in order to make sure that our community gets what it needs.”

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Saulnier’s nomination paperwork will be handed over to Elections Canada next week, she said.

The election is scheduled to take place on or before Oct. 21, 2019.

While she’s been working with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives for over a decade, Saulnier said she will take a step back from her role with the research institute during the election campaign. The non-partisan institution releases reports and findings about social and economic issues affecting Canadians.

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