Stephen McNeil defends health bill

The Nova Scotia legislature has passed a controversial bill to merge the province's existing nine district health authorities into one.

Speaking in the CBC's Newsmaker Interview, Premier Stephen McNeil said the law was necessary to both protect the rights of workers and to keep it affordable for taxpayers. 

“We believe this is what’s in the best interest of the province and the best interests of Nova Scotians,” he said Friday afternoon.

He said nurses didn’t previously have a say in what union they belong to, as it was determined by the job they held.

“This is more about union politics than it ever is about workers across this province," he said. 

Unionized health workers opposed to the plan demonstrated outside​ Province House.

Rick Clarke of the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour said the legislation will affect the morale of frontline health workers and labour relations with the government for the foreseeable future, predicting that issues will arise when the government asks for co-operation from unionized labour.

"Well they can go pound it," said Clarke. "If they want us involved in something then they are going to have to fight to get it."

Earlier in the Nova Scotia legislature, the health minister repeated the government's position that allowing all employees a vote on who will represent them in the future is too disruptive.

"Anyone who joins our health-care sector today, does not have that right. If you’re a lab technologist and you want to take a job at Kentville Regional Hospital, you’re going to be a member of CUPE. You don’t get a choice — that choice was made for you decades ago," said Leo Glavine.

Some NDP members held up the bill's passing by offering their final thoughts on all the things they believe are wrong with the bill.

Some called the bill excessive and undemocratic. They don't believe merging health authorities will save any money.

"This is a dark, dark day for the province of Nova Scotia. This is a regressive, regressive piece of legislation," said NDP interim leader Maureen MacDonald. 

PC Leader Jamie Baillie also spoke in Province House today. 

"Who are we in this house, having all been elected here, to deny the right to vote to our fellow Nova Scotians who should also have a say in who their representative at the bargaining table is. Mr. Speaker, I know how ironic it is that it's the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party making this point; believe me I know," said Baillie.

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The government allowed one amendment to controversial Bill 1, a minor change that allows community health boards to hold public meetings.

"It's really, I think, window dressing, really, of the bill. This is a very small, small change ... and if I'm not mistaken, some of the community boards already meet in public," says NDP member David Wilson.

After leaving the Legislature early Thursday morning, Liberal House Leader Michel Samson said the government would have another look at some minor amendments proposed by the NDP. 

Although he wouldn't say which amendments were possible, none of them has to do with the most controversial part of this bill — the clauses that deal with union reorganization. 

Split among 4 unions fighting Bill 1

There's a split in the four unions fighting this bill. 

The largest, the Nova Scotia Government Employees Union, wanted run-off votes — that's where individual union members who do the same jobs would vote for which union would represent them in a winner-takes-all battle. The NSGEU stands to lose the most members.

The other three unions wanted a bargaining association, where everyone stays in the union that now represents them but there's only one negotiating table — one collective agreement for all workers in the same occupation.

The governing Liberals have rejected both options to date, preferring their bill to any alternative.