Karen Casey ‘excited’ by new appointments
Having a provincial surplus with which to respond to health care and other financial demands is a stimulating prospect, says Karen Casey, Nova Scotia’s new finance minister.
“So it’s an exciting time to be able to take that surplus, not add anything more to the debt, not laden our future generations with more debt, but to take that surplus and be able to invest in services that Nova Scotians and Nova Scotian communities need and want,” the Colchester North MLA said, shortly after being named deputy premier and minister of finance and treasury.
Just days before calling the May 30 election, the Liberal government presented a $10.6-billion budget that forecast a $25.9-million surplus.
And while Casey said the government plans to stick to the budget it had previously laid out, there is also an opportunity to make some “adjustments” to address concerns expressed by Nova Scotians during the election campaign.
“As the minister of finance I certainly will be supporting anything that we can do to address those concerns regarding health care,” she told the Truro Daily News. “Health care is an issue, there’s no question,” she said, not only for front-line workers “but also those who are the recipients” of health care in the province.
“We need to listen to them and we have. And I think you will see some investments to respond to that.”
Casey was also named the minister responsible for the Nova Scotia Liquor Corp. and will continue in her role as chair of the Treasury and Policy Board.
She had previously served as the education and early childhood development minister.
She was re-elected as the Colchester North MLA in the recent election, despite the rancor generated by the province’s public school teachers during the contentious labour dispute that ultimately saw the government imposing a contract, after three offers had been voted down by the union membership.
“I would say that the people in Colchester North certainly have sent a message to me that they want me to continue as their MLA and I’m pleased and privileged to be able to do that,” she said. “There are people in any profession that don’t particularly like the decisions you’ve made. But the decisions that we made, and that I supported, were in the best interests of students in our province and in the best interests of all Nova Scotians as we try to move forward to get the province back to fiscal balance and to treat teachers and other employees fairly.”
As for being named deputy premier, Casey credited that to her experience in government (both as a Liberal and previously as a Progressive Conservative) and the respect she feels she has earned from Premier Stephen McNeil.
“It’s certainly an honour to be asked to assume the position of deputy premier,” she said. “It’s huge and I’m honoured to think that the premier has that confidence in me.”