The following email has been sent to all MLA candidates from the CBRM running in the provincial election this month. For far too long, the party system has failed Cape Breton and the residents. The only ones who benefit from this corrupt party system, are the politicians themselves with large pay checks and healthy pensions. Here is the opportunity for the candidates to speak directly to you and vie for your vote. Here is the email that was sent today: Dear Candidate: The Nova Scotians for Equalization Fairness would like to give you an opportunity to speak directly to our followers during this campaign. We especially would like to know your stance on municipal funding by the provincial government, particularly equalization and CBRM’s property tax rates compared to the HRM. In the past decade, we have seen two politicians from the CBRM stand up and grill the provincial government on the lack of distribution of equalization funding from the federal government’s Equalization transfers. Those two politicians were Tammy Martin and Kendra Coombes during regular debates in the legislature. We have recently seen five Cape Breton PC MLAs vote against the CBRM having a separate funding arrangement with the province during bill 340 deliberations in the provincial Legislature. We now see Derek Mombourquette promising hundreds of millions of dollars for the CBRM if the Liberal Party is elected back in power. What Mombourquette is not explaining however is why he and his party did absolutely nothing to address this underfunding when he held a ministerial position in the governing party to do something! Former premier Stephen MacNeil said on local television when questioned that he gave ZERO thought about equalization. The NDP also gave us false promises when running and then when elected, completely ignored this issue. So, here is your chance to speak directly to our followers and many other advocacy groups out there who care about our future. We invite you to respond or prepare a statement that we will post and if you are interested, we invite you to do a live video podcast with us to discuss your visions. If we do not hear back from you, we will know that your party has told you not to engage in the equalization discussion and that will speak volumes about your chosen party and how you will be muzzled once elected. To be honest, we have had far too much of that in the past. The party system has not been helpful to residents in this municipality (CBRM) or to residents in rural Nova Scotia also. The concept of democracy has been seriously eroded and the policies coming from this party system is the agent for our democracy deficit. We hope to hear back from you and the very best of luck in the election. Regards, The Nova Scotians for Equalization Fairness.