Nova Scotia legislature; a full fall sitting for the Liberals

It took the McNeil government 34 days this fall to shepherd 30 bills through the Nova Scotia legislature.

Although 34 days may not seem like a long time, when it comes to fall sittings, it's an eternity. This is especially true when you consider many of those were extra long days.

In fact, the first bill the Liberals introduced triggered a marathon sitting which had MLAs in their seats continuously from 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 30 to 3 a.m. on Thursday, Oct 2.

Bill 1 became law the next day.

So what did the government of Stephen McNeil accomplish in the longest fall sitting since Nova Scotia's first NDP government took power in 2009? (By coincidence, Darrell Dexter's first fall sitting also passed 30 bills.)

• Bill 1: Reorganizes health administration in Nova Scotia from nine district health authorities down to one. It also forces a reorganization of the four health unions.
• Bill 6: Places a legal moratorium on high-volume hydraulic fracturing except for the purposes of testing or research.
• Bill 38: Allows the sale of Pooled Registered Pension Plans in Nova Scotia.
• Bill 60: Puts e-cigarettes and vaporizers in the same category as regular tobacco when it comes to selling or using the devices in public places.
• Bill 65: Makes it harder for Genesee and Wyoming, the company that owns the Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway, to abandon the rail line in Cape Breton.

With the fall sitting behind it, the Liberal government now turns its attention to preparing its next budget for debate next spring.