Labour federation ‘appalled’ NS dollars could pay for US border security

An open letter Nova Scotia Federation of Labour President Danny Cavanagh wrote to Lloyd Hines, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal

We are hearing that Nova Scotians may end up footing the bill for American border security agents if Bar Harbor becomes the new destination for the Yarmouth to Maine ferry this spring. We are appalled by media reports that our tax dollars would be used to pay public servants in another country, among other concerns. This is not about a position of either for or against the ferry.

Minister Hines, Nova Scotia taxpayers must not be on the hook to pay for US Customs officers in Bar Harbor, Maine. It is appalling that the US Customs and Border Protection services expect Bay Ferries to pay for upwards of 10 additional customs agents to staff the terminal. It’s even more appalling that our Nova Scotia government would even think about footing this cost.

It’s a service the American government must provide like they do at any other border. Border security is a pretty hot topic in the USA at the moment and if the US border service is successful in having another country’s province pay up, what’s next?

Minister Hines, I am sure you recall that thousands of our public sector workers are feeling disillusioned. They had to go to arbitration and or take legal action to the N.S. court of appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada with legal actions because your government imposed your legislative force on thousands of our public sector workers in our province up to and including a forced collective agreement on our teachers.

You were quoted in media as saying you feel the value for the Nova Scotia taxpayer is there for this ferry service. Do you not see the value in paying and treating our own public sector workers with the respect they deserve for the value they provide to our citizens?

Many people in our province believe we are in crisis on many fronts, workers are feeling hard done by, health care is in crisis, education is in crisis, and our taxpayers are continually told to tighten their belts — frankly its appalling that anyone in government would support our paying for American border security…Fact is, it is hard for anyone to determine much about the cost our citizens have paid for the transportation links between N.S. and the USA.

Even the Nova Scotia’s Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for Nova Scotia, Catherine Tully on Dec. 17, 2018, issued a report that recommended the government disclose all information about the 2016 management fee Nova Scotians paid to Bay Ferries. In withholding this data, the department argued that the disclosure of the information would harm both the economic interests of the Department and the competitive position of Bay Ferries Limited. Competitive with who, and what’s wrong with competition all of a sudden?

Mr. Minister, with all due respect, it was your government that stated it would be the most open and transparent government that we would ever witness. The citizens of the province have a high expectation of transparency because that’s what was promised by your government. To date, the government has failed to fulfill the commissioner’s recommendation, and we would encourage that the department disclose all applicable information on the cost for this transportation link between our province and the USA that we have paid for.