Spring session wraps at Province House with government touting willingness to listen

Nova Scotia's MLAs wrapped up the spring session of the legislature on Friday that was as notable for what didn't happen as for what did, and for the way issues outside of Province House influenced debate inside the chamber.

The government passed a budget that includes record spending on health care, money for a school lunch program and care for people with diabetes, and a new monthly disability payment for income assistance clients who cannot work. The budget also indexes income tax brackets to the rate of inflation.

About a month after the budget was tabled, the government also announced it would index income assistance payments to the rate of inflation, a move advocates have sought for years.

The most controversial piece of legislation this session was the Financial Measures Act, a bill that traditionally gives the government authority to act on spending measures in the budget. The governing Tories, however, treated it as an omnibus bill that included two new pieces of legislation and changes to 15 existing laws.

Concerns about policies, legislation

The change within the Financial Measures Act that generated the most debate was a provision that requires health providers to make records available to the health minister for the purpose of creating and maintaining electronic health record programs and services.

Despite concerns from members of the medical community, advocates and opposition MLAs, the government did not amend that provision in the bill.

It did, however, remove a section related to career firefighters being able to work in a volunteer capacity after concerns were raised about its compatibility with collective agreements.

The government also yanked a bill before it reached third reading that would have cleared the way for municipal amalgamation in Antigonish County. It also paused a controversial funding program for commercial wine bottlers after farm wineries protested based on concerns for their industry.

'We try to be above that'

Premier Tim Houston told reporters on Friday that such a willingness to change course is the sign of a government that listens to the public and can act after assessing new information.

"You have to have the courage as a government to recognize when there's a different way or when there's a better way to do something," he said.

"It's difficult, you know. A lot of politicians want to stand in front of the microphone and say they're always right or they know everything. We try to be above that."

But opposition leaders said such changes only came about when it was clear there could be electoral implications for the government. Health Minister Michelle Thompson represents Antigonish and Agriculture Minister Greg Morrow the neighbouring district, while the government holds three seats in the Annapolis Valley, the heart of the provincial wine industry.

Liberal Leader Zach Churchill said many of the government's problems are self-made and a result of not doing enough work ahead of time while drafting legislation and policies.

"As soon as they take a bit of political heat because they didn't do the work in advance, they turtle," Churchill told reporters.

"They get scared and they reverse course. I really think it's a problematic way to govern and it wastes a lot of people's time."

NDP Leader Claudia Chender said the session was a disappointment, singling out a lack of work by the government to address cost-of-living pressures and the decision to abandon a promise to proclaim the Coastal Protection Act as key shortcomings.

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Chender contrasted the government's decision to change course on the wine industry program and amalgamation in Antigonish with the decision not to heed concerns advanced by the medical community about the sharing of patient records.

It's clear, she said, that the Tories are motivated to make changes only when they think an MLA's seat could be in jeopardy.

"So, I think that's the metric, that's what we see," she told reporters.

"We see this government reacting to whether or not they are going to get elected again. What are they going to do when they're elected? Nobody knows because they don't have a plan, they don't have a clear sense of what they want to achieve for Nova Scotians and how they're going to achieve it."

During the session, the government passed legislation that will lead to the overhaul of how the energy sector is regulated in Nova Scotia. It also introduced a bill, but did not pass it, that looks to create a provincewide volunteer organization that can help during natural disasters.

Auditor General reports part of debate

Reports by the province's auditor general factored into debate at the legislature throughout the session.

Kim Adair issued reports calling into question the way the government handles over-budget spending and the approach the Tories used to purchase a former hotel development that's being converted into a patient-care facility.

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Adair also released a report on how the Nova Scotia Liberal Party Association handled the case of a former employee who stole thousands of dollars. The matter was referred to the RCMP.

Just before the start of the spring session, long-time Liberal MLA Brendan Maguire crossed the floor to the Tories and became the province's new community services minister.