Nova Scotia Crown attorneys begin strike action

PICTOU, N.S. — Most Crown attorneys weren’t in court, beginning Wednesday in the province’s courtrooms, including the Pictou courthouse.

The Nova Scotia Crown Attorneys’ Association announced Tuesday afternoon that they were going to be withdrawing their services in response to the province’s sudden announcement last week that it is introducing legislation that “guts” the existing collective agreement between the two sides.

Bill 203 takes away the Crown attorneys’ right to binding arbitration to settle contract impasses and instead provides the right to strike.

The association has almost 100 Crown attorneys employed by the Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service.

Association president Perry Borden said after the announcement that he’s deeming what the association is doing as a political protest, and it’s not a move the Crowns wanted to take. Of the 90 prosecutors at an emergency meeting Monday night, 81 per cent agreed to pull their services.

Crowns will still deal with urgent, serious criminal offences. Borden said Crowns are holding onto those files but turning in others.

“It will be up to the province to find someone to cover those,” Borden said.

Last week, the association accused the province of badfaith bargaining after the legislation was announced the day after the group rejected the government’s final contract offer.

“We’re out for the remainder of this week, and there’s no timeline on it,” Borden said. “We would be back at the (negotiating) table tomorrow if the province wanted to be there. We can’t be there with a gun to our head, though.”