Premier-designate Darrell Dexter had one evening to soak in his election victory before getting back to work yesterday.
“Unfortunately, there’s no time for celebration,” he told reporters at a late-morning news conference. “There is a lot of work that Nova Scotians expect us to accomplish.”
Dexter named Dan O’Connor his chief of staff and unveiled a transition team to ensure a smooth transfer of power.
His government’s top priorities include naming a cabinet, recalling the legislature and preparing a budget. And they’ll likely come in that order.
Dexter made a campaign promise to cut his cabinet down to 12 from the 18-member Progressive Conservatives cabinet. It’ll mean more work for the 12 ministers, including Dexter, but he thinks it has its advantages.
“At a time when you have a new government coming into office, that having a smaller cabinet, a mobile cabinet, one that can quickly act on issues before them, I think a smaller cabinet actually works to the advantage of a new government,” Dexter said.
A summer session of the legislature is also in the books. Dexter said the House of Assembly needs to be recalled after his cabinet is appointed in order “at the very least to deal with administrative issues we have to get out of the way.”
He said his government will follow the strategy John Hamm mapped out when he took power in 1999. Hamm used special warrants from cabinet to keep money flowing in the short term, then reintroduced an altered Liberal budget within a few months. That points to a budget in late September to early October. But first Dexter has to get his promised fiscal review underway to unveil the state of the province’s books.
Dexter said he’s received congratulatory calls from several premiers, including Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall, Manitoba Premier Gary Doer and Quebec Premier Jean Charest. But he’s received no call from Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
