Premier, P.C. caucus won't talk about future of Speaker Keith Bain

When the fall sitting of the Nova Scotia Legislature starts Thursday afternoon, Keith Bain will be in the Speaker's chair to preside over the daily routine. How long he remains in the position depends on whether Premier Tim Houston follows through on an attempt to take the job away from the MLA for Victoria-The Lakes.

Although Houston suggested Wednesday there is no such plan in the works, Bain posted about it on his Facebook page last week saying, "I have made my decision to not resign as requested and, right or wrong, will accept any consequences."

Both opposition leaders have also told reporters Bain confirmed Houston's plan to oust him.

"I don't think it's right to have given him an ultimatum to resign or be kicked out," Liberal Leader Zach Churchill told reporters Wednesday. "I think this is wrong."

"He confirmed that the premier had called him and asked him to resign," said NDP Leader Claudia Chender.

Following a health-related announcement Wednesday, Houston admonished a CBC reporter for asking about Bain during the news conference.

"I know that you've really, kind of, personally spent a couple of days trying to manufacture a story and we're not going to taint this wonderful announcement with these kind of rumours and innuendoes."

The premier was referring to CBC reporters who have recently asked members of his cabinet and Progressive Conservative backbenchers for their thoughts on Bain's performance as Speaker and whether they think he needs to be replaced.

At recent public events, both Health Minister Michelle Thompson and Education Minister Becky Druhan would not answer questions about Bain, saying they would only deal with questions related to the topic at hand.

"I'm here tonight to talk about health care and, you know I spent some time with Keith today and I'm glad to have a chance to be here to support my colleague and really my focus here tonight is health care," said Thompson at a meeting in Baddeck on Oct. 6,  attended by Bain.

"I have nothing to say about that at all, " said Druhan on Tuesday, following an announcement on salary increases for Early Childhood Educators. "Today's all about our ECEs and celebrating the incredible wages that we're implementing for them."

Backbench P.C. MLAs were equally tight-lipped on their way into a Tuesday committee meeting. 

"I'm just a baby MLA, I have no comment," said Danielle Barkhouse, rookie MLA for Chester-St. Margaret's. "Ask me in another term, maybe."

The representative for King West, Chris Palmer, also refused to discuss the matter.

"I'm here today just for a health committee so I'm not here to discuss that today and we've got a good health committee meeting going on here today and that's my focus," said Palmer. "I'm not going to comment on the Speaker."

Glace Bay-Dominion MLA John White, also elected in 2021, would not say what he thought of Bain as Speaker.

"I don't have any answer guys. I've go to get in there and review for this meeting. This meeting is 10 minutes away so I apologize."

Asked if Bain needed to be replaced White responded, "No comment."

To replace the Speaker, a majority of the 55 MLAs in the House would have to support a motion of non-confidence in the Speaker. If successful, it would be the first time since 1875 a Speaker would have been fired from the job at Province House.

Members of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly would then need to elect a new Speaker by secret ballot.