Winter session at N.S. Legislature nears close as bills clear third reading
Bills on interprovincial trade, university governance, civil service job security all pass
The end of the winter session at the Nova Scotia Legislature is within sight after multiple pieces of government legislation cleared third reading on Monday night at Province House.
Bill 1, a controversial piece of omnibus legislation that saw intense public blowback, passed with amendments to two of its most contentious aspects.
As previously promised, the government withdrew provisions that would have allowed it to fire the auditor general without cause and give cabinet ministers the power to suppress reports from the office.
The government also amended changes to access to information laws so a government employee can't reject an application for being frivolous or vexatious without the approval of the province's privacy commissioner.
Other aspects of Bill 1 that remain unchanged, however, include the end of fixed election dates, pay and expense increases for MLAs, and the ability for the government to fire non-unionized civil servants without cause.
It's that last aspect of Bill 1 that received the most attention from opposition MLAs on Monday night.
Interim Liberal Leader Derek Mombourquette said it has civil servants fearing for their jobs and it's affecting morale. People who have opposed the bill note it will mean civil servants outside a union will have less job protection than what is afforded long-serving retail workers through the provincial labour code.
"It's the absolute worst message you could send to the civil service," Mombourquette said during debate.
The minister responsible for the Public Service Commission, Twila Grosse, has said the government needs the flexibility to adapt the public service as necessary during the uncertain times of U.S. tariffs.
Grosse has pledged that anyone who loses their job would be compensated beyond labour code requirements, but she's also said there are no plans for layoffs or reorganization within government.
University bill passes third reading
The government's legislation giving it more oversight of the province's universities also cleared third reading.
Critics have said Bill 12 would allow the government to have more power over how universities function and who serves on boards, and risks interference in their independence and operations.
But Advanced Education Minister Brendan Maguire has countered that the bill is instead about ensuring universities remain fiscally sustainable for the long term and are in a position to succeed.
Maguire has said recommendations in a recent auditor general's report on university funding are in line with what the government is trying to achieve with Bill 12. He's repeatedly said the government does not intend to tell universities how to operate.
Bill 21, which creates a mechanism to repeal legislation that has been passed but not proclaimed after a decade, cleared third reading.
The families of two men killed outside bars following interactions with bouncers voiced concerns that the Security and Investigative Services Act could potentially be one of those pieces of legislation that will be repealed by Bill 21.
Acting justice minister Barb Adams told the House on Monday night that the government has already made some changes to make cabarets safer and is committed to talking with the families about how to do more.
She noted that no bills could be repealed before sometime in 2026.
"It is also important to know that the appeal timeline can be extended, allowing for further consideration of any bill."
NDP Leader Claudia Chender called on the government to follow through on Adams's pledge.
"There are very few cabarets and there are very, very many bars where very many people drink lots of alcohol in our province and where there are fights," she said.
She called on the government to extend the same changes relating to cabaret safety to all bars in Nova Scotia.
Concerns about deed transfer tax, income assistance rates
The government's legislation that is intended to break down interprovincial trade barriers passed third reading.
Bill 36 would clear barriers between Nova Scotia and any other province willing to pass mirror legislation. The government was forced to amend the bill after provincial regulators noted it would unintentionally remove their ability to regulate who is coming to the province to work.
The Financial Measures Act also cleared third reading.
That bill has been criticized for the lack of a meaningful increase to income assistance rates and for an increase in the deed transfer tax to 10 per cent from five per cent for non-Nova Scotia residents purchasing a seasonal home.
Last week, MLAs also passed an amendment to the act that will remove the rebate on the purchase of new vehicles manufactured by Tesla because of CEO Elon Musk's connection to U.S. President Donald Trump.
Finally on Monday night, Bill 11 passed third reading. Among other things, the legislation will end the annual publication of a report on emergency department closures in the province.
Health Minister Michelle Thompson has said the document is months old by the time it is published and more relevant, timely information about the state of emergency departments is available online for the public to consult.
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