How McNeil stepping down as premier could impact his riding
With Stephen McNeil stepping down as Premier of
Nova Scotia, there will likely be some ramifications for his Annapolis riding.
However, the impact may not be so great today as it would have been in the past.
Andrew Biro, a political scientist and professor in Acadia University’s Department of Politics, recently answered some hypothetical questions relating to the potential impacts of an MLA who serves as premier stepping down as the leader of the provincial government.
Biro said it’s always helpful having a voice representing a particular area at the decision-making table, such as cabinet at the provincial level. The cabinet chairperson, the premier, has quite a bit of power when it comes to setting the agenda and influencing decisions.
“If there is an issue that is of particular concern to a given area, I think it helps them to get that on the agenda,” Biro said. “In general, I think that’s true.”
However, the impact on an electoral riding whose MLA served as premier and stepped down probably isn’t the same now as it was in the past in terms of that area receiving preferential treatment. There is much more awareness around conflict of interest issues today.
Biro points out that a lot depends on the individual politician in question. For example, it is conceivable a premier or cabinet minister may step back a bit from pushing for something beneficial to their riding out of concern over the appearance of a real or perceived conflict of interest.
In this sense, it may not be as beneficial having your
MLA serve as premier or a cabinet minister but Biro said, “In general, I would say having a voice in setting the agenda is more important or probably outweighs those other kinds of concerns.”
Biro said when he thinks about the impact of the McNeil government on the Annapolis Valley, he thinks of it less in terms of what McNeil did or didn’t do for his Annapolis riding. He thinks of it more in terms of what McNeil did for the entire province and how this impacted the Annapolis Valley as a part of Nova Scotia.
Biro said representing one’s riding as MLA while also serving as premier or a cabinet minister means considering the competing interests of local constituents, broader provincial responsibilities and what is in the best interest of the party they represent. This is a feature of our parliamentary system and “a complicated balancing act.”
Biro said that in his Intro to Political Science class at Acadia, they spend a lot of time talking about representation.
“I tell my students that representation is one of the most complicated political concepts out there,” he said.
Biro said representation is always about “making present some thing or some group of people who are absent” from the decision-making process.
With Iain Rankin being chosen as the new leader of the Liberal Party of Nova Scotia, the party in power, he was also selected as McNeil's replacement as premier. Biro said that in a scenario such as this, voters often expect that the premier should seek a mandate from the electorate.
There doesn’t have to be an election right away, but perhaps the new premier would have more legitimacy in the eyes of citizens in terms of what he or she hopes to accomplish if they are given a mandate through an election.