The fall sitting of the Nova Scotia legislature began not with a bang, but a whimper.
Or, perhaps more accurately, with much shouting and finger pointing.
There was nothing new introduced in Thursday’s session, with the exception of proposed changes to the Police Act first announced by Justice Minister Ross Landry last November.
We did, however, see some of this fall’s likely narratives emerge. The Liberals, numbers bolstered by the swearing in of members Geoff MacLellan and Zach Churchill, continued to hammer away at the government on the Ross Report.
The report recommends closing some rural ERs at night — when those ERs see one or two patients over the course of a shift.
It also suggests this would save money and free up doctors, actually improving the quality of service in rural areas.
But Liberal Leader Stephen McNeil focused more on the NDP’s 2009 campaign pledge to keep 24-7 emergency service — a pledge that would be broken if the government implements Ross’s recommendations.
The Progressive Conservatives focused their attacks on the economy, asking Premier Darrell Dexter if he plans to meet with New Brunswick Premier David Alward about trade.
Alward will be in Halifax on Saturday for the Progressive Conservative’s leadership convention.
The opposition also criticized the NDP for not having made a decision on where to put the new, 100-cell dual capacity jail.
– For more on the legislature, be sure to follow Alex Boutilier’s blog at www.metronews.ca/politicsasusual
