First date with Rankin a qualified success
On balance, Nova Scotia Premier Iain Rankin’s first week on the job likely should be rated a qualified success.
Owing to the way he came to the office, Rankin can’t count on the traditional honeymoon — a period of forbearance — usually afforded a newly-elected premier by the electorate who put him there.
The Nova Scotian electorate didn’t put Rankin there, the Liberal Party did. The rest of the province is just getting to know the former Mcneil-government cabinet minister who, like most ministers in Mcneil’s government, never attained much profile.
At this point, Nova Scotians’ relationship with Rankin resembles a first date more than a honeymoon. People are sizing him up for future consideration, rather than consummating a relationship that both sides hope will be bear fruit.
Despite COVID limitations that produced a somewhat minimalist swearing-in ceremony last Tuesday, Team Rankin got all they could have hoped for out of the event.
In addition to a 17-person cabinet — Rankin included — they rolled out just enough new, moving parts — renamed and new departments and offices — to create the perception of change and renewal, which was, after all, their objective for the day. As the old adage goes, perception is reality in politics.
News outlets were generally accommodating, referring to Rankin’s government as a new-look cabinet or similar labels that suggest something fresh and different.
This despite the fact that the cabinet has just three new faces, and of the 14 holdovers from Mcneil cabinets, seven ministers — and all four women in cabinet — are back in the same jobs they held a week ago when Stephen McNeil was premier.
Not surprising for a government determined to put climate change action frontand-centre, Rankin’s first announcement was to spend $19 million to help low-income Nova Scotians make their homes more energy-efficient and to subsidize the purchase of new and used electric vehicles.
The announcement itself was mostly well received, but some environmental groups were critical of Rankin’s stated goal to generate 80 per cent of the province’s electricity from renewable sources by 2030. Currently, less than 40 per cent of the province’s power comes from renewables.
The Sierra Club, in particular, wants Nova Scotia off coal fast and says the transition can begin almost immediately if Nova Scotia were to purchase hydro power from Quebec. The group says 90 per cent of Nova Scotia’s power should come from renewables by 2030.
The criticism Rankin drew from environmentalists illustrates a divergence of opinion about the new premier among folks for whom the environment is the top issue.
While many are optimistic that Rankin will walk his environmental talk, others point to his action and inaction on critical files during stints as environment, and later, lands and forestry minister.
Rankin approved burning tires to fuel the Lafarge cement plant near Brookfield, over the vehement objection of locals, environmentalists and some experts and, while he was in lands and forestry, many believe there was inadequate progress in implementing the Lahey report on ecological forestry practices.
Rankin’s biggest test so far is trying to fill Mcneil’s sizable shoes at the regular — currently twice a week — briefings on COVID with Dr. Robert Strang, the province’s chief medical officer of health.
Maybe the best, and worst, that can be said of Rankin’s first two COVID briefings was that he didn’t get in the way.
He read opening and closing statements, but everything in between — the finer detail and answers to reporters’ questions — was handled by Strang.
Let’s face it, the McneilStrang show — they held 100 briefings over that past 11 months — is a tough act to follow. The two were a team, with an easy camaraderie and obvious mutual respect and affection.
Dropping the new premier into Mcneil’s slot at the briefings was a calculated risk.
Liberals knew that Rankin, at least initially, would suffer by comparison to Mcneil, but the potential upside of Rankin’s participation outweighs that, probably temporary, downside.
Liberals didn’t need to look any further than the public opinion polls to decide Rankin had to be part of the briefings.
Last March, before the virus arrived in Nova Scotia, Narrative Research reported that the Mcneil government’s approval rating was under 50 per cent and that just over 30 per cent of Nova Scotians picked Mcneil was their first choice for premier.
Nine months and a multitude of COVID briefings later, Narrative reported in December that the Liberal government has a sky-high 73 per cent approval rating and, despite his nearing departure, 43 per cent of Nova Scotians said Stephen Mcneil was their preferred choice as premier.
The provincial Liberals were resurrected by their handling of the pandemic. It would be political malpractice not to try to keep that positive momentum going by sticking with what’s worked so far, and that obviously includes the premier’s place at the briefings.