PORT HAWKESBURY - The longest-serving Strait Area candidate in the 2021 provincial election campaign is excited at the thought of winning a fourth consecutive term, especially since his Inverness riding now includes the Town of Port Hawkesbury after an eight-year absence. 

Allan MacMaster, whose first election victory came in a 2009 by-election triggered by the resignation of former Premier Rodney MacDonald six weeks after his government lost power in a provincial election, was re-elected twice in a version of Inverness that did not include Port Hawkesbury, which was part of the neighbouring constituency of Cape Breton-Richmond at the time. However, boundary realignment has returned the town to Inverness this year, a move that pleases MacMaster.

"I've heard a pretty strong message from the people in the town that they're happy to be back in Inverness, and I'm happy that they're back as well," MacMaster told TELILE 24/7 host/producer Adam Cooke one week before Nova Scotia voting wrapped up.

"A lot of people in the constituency in Inverness either work or do their shopping in Port Hawkesbury, so it's a natural fit. We certainly value the Strait of Canso, the port here and the jobs that are associated with it, and the paper mill. So I think it's a great fit with Inverness, and I think people want [the town] to be with Inverness."

As for his priorities for the riding should he be re-elected on August 17, MacMaster echoed PC Leader Tim Houston's insistence that health care needs to be the government's top focus, and he also stressed the need to address gaps in the housing system, aging municipal infrastructure, and the need for everyone in the county to be connected to reliable high-speed internet.

"The pandemic has pushed us ten years into the future," said MacMaster, noting that the restrictions related to COVID-19 have not only forced businesses and governments to adapt to online models but have made it difficult for community groups and non-profits to continue their operation on digital platforms as well.