Health care, Northern Pulp top agenda
Expect health care to dominate the fall legislature that begins Thursday but it will inevitably be overshadowed by the federal election campaign, says a Dalhousie University political sociologist.
“I think provincial politics are largely decoupled from federal politics and with a federal election that’s so tight a lot of voters are paying attention to that than provincial politics right now, myself included,” said Howard Ramos.
Premier Stephen McNeil is heading into the second half of his mandate so look for his government to loosen the purse strings during the fall session and beyond in an attempt to woo voters, said Ramos.
“There will likely be a little bit of recognition for the surplus and gains that they’ve had and the launching of spending and programs,” said Ramos, pointing to the province’s prediction last week of a fourth straight balanced budget and a $30.8-million surplus by the end of the fiscal year.
“There’s a lot less focus in terms of austerity measures that the McNeil government brought in and more focus on trying to demonstrate the success of those measures. But the bigger concern is whatever is done, will Nova Scotians be paying attention?”
The Liberals have yet to officially say what the party’s priorities are for the fall session. McNeil was occupied by internal meetings, including with his caucus, on Wednesday preparing for the sitting, said his spokesman David Jackson.
McNeil's government will continue to be burdened by Northern Pulp. The province has given the mill until Jan. 31, 2020, to shut down its effluent site at Boat Harbour.
Ramos expects neither McNeil nor Tory leader and leader of the opposition Tim Houston will likely have any appetite to change course. But questions will have to be confronted during the fall sitting, such as will the province be on the hook for cleaning up Boat Harbour in the event the mill shuts down? If it closes, what’s the province’s plan to help thousands of unemployed mill and forestry workers?
“Given that the deadline is fast approaching, it will be interesting to see if there’s anything debated or brought in around that,” said Ramos.
Heath care will be top of mind for the Tories who will be pressing the Liberals to improve access to health care and support health-care workers. The waiting list for a doctor sat at 51, 980 people as of Aug. 1.
Houston said he plans to push the province to act on seven heath-care specific bills introduced by his party.
His party is also pushing to restore decision-making in health care to communities and rebuilding trust with health-care professionals.
“There is no quick fix to Nova Scotia’s health-care crisis, but if health-care professionals are shown some respect by government, they may stay,” Houston stated in a recent party release. “If more stay, it will be easier to recruit. It will take time, but it is possible. “The fall session of the legislature is the ideal time to begin discussing ideas that will improve health care for thousands of Nova Scotians.”
Meanwhile, NDP leader Gary Burrill is planning to push the envelope on affordable housing, mental health care and action on a plan for a green economy in Nova Scotia.
“The cost of housing is skyrocketing, we have long wait times for access to mental health services, and the Liberal government is failing to act to address climate change,” said Burrill. “We in the NDP have put forward solutions that will address these problems. If the Liberals were committed to confronting the crises in housing, health care, and climate change, they could support and implement our proposals right away.”
Burrill wants the government to enact rent controls to address escalating housing costs, saying 20 per cent of renters in the province pay more than half of their income in rent. He’ll also push for the Liberals to adopt his party’s Health Care Bill of Rights that would guarantee people same-day, next-day care, he said The party is also looking for the government to enact the Green Jobs Act, which proposes emission reduction targets of 50 per cent below 1990 levels by 2030 and holds the potential for thousands of jobs.
According to Ramos the province must grapple with greening the economy sooner or later.
“Certainly one of the issues Nova Scotia we’ll have to deal with is how do we transition our economy from a resource economy to an economy that’s going to be more sustainable given the serious ecological pressures we’re facing?”
But the bigger concern is whatever is done, will Nova Scotians be paying attention? Howard Ramos Dalhousie University political sociologist