Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston was absent from Thursday’s cabinet meeting, as he attended the First Minister’s Meeting in Charlottetown this week. Also absent were seven cabinet ministers and there were no acting ministers to take questions from the media in their place. This had former premier and interim Liberal leader Iain Rankin raising questions about government accountability. “They absolutely should be here,” Rankin said to reporters when asked why ministerial assistants aren’t showing up to cabinet. “It’s an erosion of accountability.” Last year, the Houston government appointed 21 PC MLAs to act as ministerial assistants, which came with a $16,000 increase to their base salary. There are currently 18 ministerial assistants working across government, earning an additional $16,422 annually, confirmed a communications advisor with the Houston government, totalling $295,596 in the 2026 budget. Rankin said when the liberal government was in power, MLAs who acted as minister assistants did so without a pay increase. “It’s an expectation for the public to see some return on investment, on the money that’s being paid as a salary, and I think it’s just a way to pay their own people more,” said Rankin. The province’s finance minister defended the junior minister positions, arguing the assistants are heavily involved in their given portfolio and that work justifies the extra pay on top of their base salary. “I think it’s been from our point of view, that it’s been a very effective program,” said John Lohr, the minister of finance. “And we’re pleased with it. They know what’s going on in the specific department they’re involved in and they have a voice in the discussions.” If that’s the case and they have a voice, the public still has questions, said N.S. NDP leader Claudia Chender. “A large chunk of the cabinet just aren’t there, they aren’t in the conversation and aren’t available for questions,” said Chender. “That should give Nova Scotians pause. These are important portfolios that people have huge questions about.” A report last week shared by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation showed Nova Scotia MLAs are among the highest paid politicians in North America. In 2025, the Houston government passed a motion to increase the base salaries of all MLAs from nearly $90,000 up to $115,000, which is not including an additional $63,000 for ministers with a portfolio. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
