Opposition accuses Houston government of sending mixed messages to employees

Opposition party leaders are accusing the Houston government of sending mixed messages about its plans for Nova Scotia's civil service and why it needs the power to dismiss non-union employees without cause.

Premier Tim Houston told reporters Wednesday that his government requires that power to ensure the government is responsive to those it serves.

"I don't think we should be ashamed of looking for problem solvers," Houston said at Province House, alluding to a message he recently sent to government employees about the need for them to be "problem solvers" rather than "problem stretchers."

The premier said the province has a dedicated public service and it's the government's responsibility to organize the civil service to most effectively meet the needs of citizens.

"I think government should have that ability to do that," Houston said. "That's where this is all coming from."

Fair compensation

During question period following that availability, the cabinet minister he appointed to oversee the public service, Twila Grosse, said any government worker dismissed without cause would receive fair compensation.

She dismissed the suggestion the governing PCs were planning a major shift in government resources.

"The government at this time is not planning on a reorganization," said Grosse. "We value our public servants and the work that they do. But we also need flexibility as we continue to move forward in some of the initiatives that we have for this province."

Contradictory comments

Interim Liberal Leader Derek Mombourquette called the minister's comments contradictory.

"The minister is saying there's going to be compensation packages and they're going to be fair. And then in the next line of questioning, she's saying, well, there's no organizational review and there's no layoffs," said Mombourquette.

"So my question continues to be why does the government want this? Why do they want this ability to fire public servants without cause if nothing's going to change?"

Stoking fear, causing unrest

NDP Leader Claudia Chender said she also heard contradictory messages.

"Today in the legislature we heard 'we need problem solvers' and we heard 'we're going to treat them fairly, don't worry.' And those two things are fundamentally contradictory," said Chender.

She suggested the message being sent to civil servants was "open dissent will not be tolerated."

Chender and Mombourquette brushed aside Houston's suggestion that talk of layoffs and firings is stoking fear and unrest among government workers.

"If asking questions is fearmongering, I guess Nova Scotians can draw their own conclusions," Chender said.

Stephen Moore, Houston's director of communications, issued a statement late Wednesday afternoon that said the government has no plans for layoffs or a large-scale reorganization.