Give the premier a chance

Can someone tell me what is wrong with Nova Scotia?

Why is it when anything goes wrong we blame Rodney MacDonald? I am referring to the Ernie Fage incident. Ernie made a mistake and did the honourable thing and resigned as a minister. What was the reaction? Blame the premier. Mr. Fage is not a child and Premier MacDonald cannot be accountable for this matter, no matter how far you stretch your imagination.

I am a new immigrant to this province and perhaps it is not right for me to comment on such matters, however I get tired and confused by media reports blaming our premier for everything.

I think Nova Scotia is lucky to have a young dynamic premier. Yes, he has made mistakes, but surely this is part of learning?

I have listened to him talk about his vision for Nova Scotia. Unemployment is falling in the province and urban centres are booming. A lot of work has to be done in the rural areas, but we must ensure places like Halifax, New Minas, Yarmouth, etc. become the hubs for growth. This will expand outwards into the rural areas.

I recently returned from a trade mission to Scotland, which is where I was born. The reaction by my fellow Scots towards the Nova Scotia delegation was amazing. New friendships were formed and new business opportunities made. However when I asked my fellow Scots what they knew about Nova Scotia, the response was no one knew anything. That is a terrible indictment on Nova Scotia and Scotland. If ever two nations should be close it should be them.

I spoke with political leaders of the Scottish government. They truly would like to work on building political, economical, educational, cultural and tourism links between the two nations. I spoke with the premier about this and his response inspired me to pursue ways that we can make this happen.

The premier is a young man who takes tremendous pride in calling himself a Nova Scotian. He wants to see this province become something very special.

Come on folks, give the guy a chance.

My wife and I are extremely proud to call ourselves Nova Scotians, New Scots. The people of this province have so much to offer the world.

Let’s show Canada and the world just what Nova Scotia is – the diamond in the Canadian provinces’ crown.

Ian Russell

Digby