House Speaker Charlie Parker isn’t saying whether a settlement with outgoing Chief Clerk Rod MacArthur is being negotiated.
Parker’s office sent out a release on Friday afternoon announcing MacArthur’s retirement. The release came shortly after an www.AllNovaScotia.com report citing sources indicated MacArthur was pushed out.
But neither Parker nor MacArthur would speak to the matter yesterday.
“All I can confirm is that I worked there and I no longer work there,” MacArthur said when contacted by Metro.
Parker lauded MacArthur yesterday for his 35 years in the civil service, but would not speak to whether or not MacArthur will receive a settlement.
“Personnel issues are not something I discuss,” said Parker. “I believe that’s a confidential item, and just leave it at that.”
On June 9, MacArthur criticized the certain administrative reforms in the inaugural meeting of the House of Assembly Management Commission.
He was concerned about transferring administrative duties away from the Speaker’s Office to government departments, saying the move would encroach on the independence of the legislature.
Liberal MLA Andrew Younger accused the NDP of trying to muzzle MacArthur.
“It’s very clear in the way the departure was managed that (the NDP) got rid of him,” he said.
Previously unavailable minutes from the June 9 meeting became available online after requests were made to the Speaker’s Office yesterday.
Interim role
Neil Ferguson, assistant to the clerk, has taken over the chief clerk role on an interim basis.
