NDP calls on N.S. government to honour campaign promise to repeal labour relations bill

NDP Leader Gary Burrill says it's hypocritical for the Progressive Conservative government to have sent lawyers to court to argue in favour of controversial labour relations legislation that the party promised to repeal during the last election campaign.

Lawyers for the province and a group of unions were in the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal for two days this week making submissions on the constitutionality of Bill 148. The three-judge panel reserved its decision.

"It's hypocritical and it brings the government's integrity into question," Burrill said Thursday.

The former Liberal government passed Bill 148 in 2015 and then proclaimed it in 2017, effectively imposing contracts with prescriptive wage patterns on thousands of public sector workers. The bill also ended a long-service award, a lump-sum payment that workers with at least 10 years of service received upon retirement.

'All our options remain open'

Tory Leader Tim Houston promised during last summer's election campaign that if his party formed government it would repeal the bill.

Labour Relations Minister Allan MacMaster acknowledged the now-premier's promise on Thursday, but said the court action has been underway since 2017, so it made sense to see it through.

The minister would not directly say if the Tories intend to repeal Bill 148 after MLAs return to the legislature on March 24.

"At the end of the day, we want to see what the court is going to say about [Bill] 148," MacMaster told reporters following a cabinet meeting.

"And after they say it, all of our options remain open."

NDP plans to introduce legislation

MacMaster said the Tories do not intend to follow the hard-line example of former premier Stephen McNeil regardless of how the court rules. McNeil's government settled more major collective agreements with legislation than it did without.

"Our government wants to be different than the last government," said MacMaster. "We want those discussions to happen at the bargaining table."

But Burrill said if the Tories really want to be different from the Liberals, they should keep their word and kill the bill. He said the NDP would introduce such legislation when Province House resumes sitting.

"They made a commitment that they would repeal Bill 148. So, you're not repealing it when you go to court to argue in favour of it."

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