Premier calls opposition delay tactics at Province House 'ridiculous'

The wheels fell off Nova Scotia's legislative bus just before 3 p.m. AT last Tuesday.

That's when government House leader Kim Masland informed the 55 MLAs at Province House that they would be sitting until midnight, starting the next day, for seven consecutive sitting days — including Mondays when the Nova Scotia legislature normally does not sit.

But so far, those 11 and 12-hour days have not moved many bills through the lawmaking process because opposition politicians, particularly members of the Liberal caucus, have been using well-worn legislative delay tactics to gum up the works.

Liberal House leader Derek Mombourquette put the blame on the governing Tories and their attempt to speed up the process and wear down the opposition.

"They called all these hours to midnight so, for us, we're going to use the hours," said Mombourquette, MLA for Sydney-Membertou.

Premier Tim Houston called the hour-long speeches and the constant calls for recorded votes — even for legislation the Liberals support — tactics that are beyond normal.

"This has gone well into the realm of ridiculous," Houston told CBC News. "There's bills here now at the committee [stage] that they voted in favour of, at second reading, that people at law amendments came in support [of], and suddenly they're filibustering it.

"It's ridiculous but we're undeterred. We have work to do on behalf of Nova Scotians and we'll do the serious work and they can do what they do."

Mombourquette was quick to dismiss the premier's perspective, reminding the PC leader the fall sitting is only in its seventh day.

"We haven't been here for weeks or months, so to call it ridiculous is ridiculous," said Mombourquette.

Spat over deputy Speakers, carbon tax plan

The protest goes beyond being forced to spend long hours on the floor of the legislative chamber.  The party in power wants to install three backbench PC caucus members as deputy Speakers. They would join two opposition members currently serving as deputies — the first Black woman and the first gender queer person named to the position.

If the motion passes Nova Scotia will have five deputy Speakers, the most of any legislature or Parliament in Canada. 

The move comes on the heels of a messy public spat with Speaker Keith Bain, PC MLA for Victoria - the Lakes, who has reluctantly agreed to step down next April. The Liberals want the province's conflict of interest commissioner to investigate the circumstances behind the premier's move to oust the speaker.

The Liberal caucus is also against the government's plan to scrap the cap-and-trade system they introduced while in power. The Tories plan to replace it with a carbon tax on the province's two biggest polluters: Nova Scotia Power and the Lafarge cement plant. The changes to the Environment Act leave the door wide open for the federal government to impose a similar price on carbon on gasoline, diesel and heating fuel.

Nova Scotia Liberals say the Houston government should have worked harder to reach a deal with Ottawa and that the bill only does half the job to meet emission reductions targets set by Ottawa. 

Consolidation concerns

The opposition parties are also worried about changes to 11 Crown corporations and authorities which currently operate at arm's length.

On Friday, NDP Leader Claudia Chender called it an unprecedented move to bring the bodies under the direct control of or answerable to cabinet ministers rather than boards of directors.

"Never has anyone that I have ever spoken to that has served in this role experienced an agenda like the one that this government has put forward," said Chender, who also had a direct message for those on the government side of the House about the extended hours.

"This is not normal," said the MLA for Dartmouth South. "This is not the way that we do the government's business. You may see it as an inconvenience [but] this is our only opportunity to bring our constituents' voices to this floor."

Houston's history of stall tactics

Although Houston is critical of the delay tactics, he participated in at least four attempts while in opposition to delay Liberals bills making their way through the legislature.

During debate on a "hoist motion" aimed at slowing passage of an education bill in February 2017, Houston implored the Liberal government benches to support the motion to shelve the bill temporarily.

"I hope they vote [with] their conscience and just say let's hit pause for six months," he said. "It's the right thing to do, it's the just thing to do, and it's certainly in the public good."

In the fall of 2019, debating a hoist motion on an environment bill, Houston recommended the government "do its homework," then return to the House with a revamped bill in six months.

"Come back with something when they are ready to have a real discussion with Nova Scotians about aggressive targets, when they are ready to have a real discussion with Nova Scotians about what is possible," Houston said. "They are not ready to have that discussion today because they haven't done their homework."

Provincial representatives are due back in their seats Monday for a sitting that is scheduled to run from 5 p.m. to midnight.