Despite supermajority, public pushback forces amendments to key laws passed at N.S. legislature

The Nova Scotia legislature’s spring sessions wrapped up on Wednesday.

The spring session of the Nova Scotia legislature wrapped up Wednesday and despite their supermajority and every effort to pass laws smoothly, Premier Tim Houston’s PC government still had to make several amendments to get their bills through at the legislative sitting.

Still, Houston called the first sitting of the legislature since the November election a resounding success and significant moment.

“I think the changes that we’ve made are significant and are massive improvements,” said Houston while speaking with reporters.

The PC’s pushed a dozen bills forward this session and Houston highlighted a few of which he considers the most significant, like the “Free Trade and Mobility Within Canada Act” which Houston announced while in Ontario, campaigning alongside Premier Doug Ford. The bill aims to remove barriers to interprovincial trade.

“For Canada to be in a trade war with the two biggest economies in the world is not a great place to be,” said Houston.

Concerns around the trade uncertainty and tariff threats with the U.S. has pushed Houston to go all-in on resource extraction, passing legislation to lift a long-standing ban on uranium mining and a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing for fossil fuels.

“We have removed the bans, and it is time to have adult discussions about what is possible,” said Houston during question period. “So we can grow the economy and afford to deliver the services that Nova Scotians have a right to expect. We feel that obligation and we will take the ‘no’ out of Nova Scotia.”

Public backlash came swift and not just over mining and resource development but also over bills aimed at revoking power in offices that hold the government to account, like that of the auditor general and the freedom of information officer.

NDP Leader Claudia Chender called this session of the legislature that of the “secret agenda” and argued the Houston government was elected to fix health care and make life more affordable, not for drilling and mining and reigning in government watchdog powers.

“The old Tim Houston wanted to fix health care and increase government transparency,” said Chender. “The new Tim Houston wants to reduce oversight and consolidate power.”

Houston walked back changes to both the freedom of information act and made changes to the legislation that would neutralize power of the auditor general’s office.

As for resource extraction and mining, Houston said global political changes forced his hand on the issue after the provincial election campaign wrapped up.

“Nobody on the campaign trail was talking about our biggest ally and trading partner declaring economic war with us,” said Houston. “We’re not okay with being energy dependent on the United States for our energy resources.”

Chender credits the public for rallying outside the province house and forcing amendments by the government to key legislation.

“And make no mistake, they were putting those forward because they thought the public wouldn’t be paying attention,” said Chender. “And they were proven wrong. And we see that when the public does pay attention, when the public does make their voice heard, they can make change.”

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