Green Jobs Strategy - Question Period

CLAUDIA CHENDER: Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Business. Nova Scotia needs green jobs. We need a plan to get a clean economy. Tens, if not hundreds of thousands of students will be marching at noon today to demand that, but I don't see any evidence that this government has a plan.

For six years, our employment growth has been sluggish compared to the rest of the country; our incomes are stagnant while prices are going up; outside of Halifax, we're losing jobs - almost 9,000 of them since 2013; oil and gas jobs have disappeared since 2012 - and while there may be a few small booms left in the industry, the outlooks say it's mostly a bust. Nova Scotia needs a plan - a green jobs plan.

Can the minister tell this House why he has no comprehensive strategy to create the thousands of good, green jobs we need here in Nova Scotia?

HON. GEOFF MACLELLAN « » : Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for the question. It certainly is part of the mix, part of the conversations around green jobs. The new economy is built on renewable energies, the infrastructure, and the systems that will be required to sustain that infrastructure. There have been 1,400 jobs associated with the green economy thus far across the province which we'll certainly see grow exponentially over the next number of years, because it has to.

Nova Scotia is going to be a leader. We're a leader in the reduction of GHGs. We're going to be a leader in the green economy as well, doing it smart, prudently and making sure that we're hiring people and we're providing energy that's in the best interest of the province.

CLAUDIA CHENDER: Mr. Speaker, I thank the minister for his answer, but with respect, being part of the mix is not enough. This government has had six years to make a real impact, but we have not made significant progress on the major challenges facing Nova Scotians.

I'm sure the minister will argue that there isn't a silver bullet to create good jobs, vitalize rural communities, cut emissions, and make our communities cleaner and healthier. But there actually is. It's major public investment with a clear strategy and a triple bottom line return on investment that is democratic and invites participation from all over the province.

That's what a green jobs plan is, but since this government doesn't have one, I'd like to know: Can the minister tell us when we will see a comprehensive green jobs plan or will we let Nova Scotians continue to fall behind as the world economy moves on without us?

GEOFF MACLELLAN: Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for the question. I would respectfully disagree. I think we are leaders. We're leaders in the development of the green sector. I think that to the member's point, everything that we do in terms of government investment - the green economy renewables, how we grow the new age of energy is part of the mix. Every investment is connected to the new direction that we're heading.

We're creating jobs with a $700 million capital plan. We're building a leading broadband program that exists nowhere else, which will provide access for rural Nova Scotians to participate in the new green economy.

Unemployment is at an all-time low, where we are now, and of course, we're going to continue to make good decisions, make smart investments, continue to support the tourism sector, and the list keeps going, but I've got to sit down.