Surprise Agenda - QP

CLAUDIA CHENDER: Over the last two days, we have heard from dozens of Nova Scotians at the Public Bills Committee. They're outraged by the government's proposals to restrict information, change longstanding policies without consultation, debate, or warning, and interfere with the independence of our universities and post-secondary institutions. The president of the SMU Faculty Union said that changes proposed by this government "will immediately set universities on a chaos course for the indefinite future. Consultation could have and still would avoid such scenarios."

My question is: Why is the government choosing to drive this surprise agenda despite opposition, and will they consult?

THE SPEAKER « » : The honourable minister of Advanced Education.

HON. BRENDAN MAGUIRE: I want to thank the member for the question, and I also want to thank all the university presidents whom we met with for over three hours yesterday for the second and third time that we've had meetings with them. We're talking about Bill No. 12. We're talking about bilateral agreements. We're talking about all kinds of things with the universities. The Auditor General made it very clear on what needed to be done. In fact, the Auditor General - and I can quote from the newspaper and table it - said that Bill No. 12 will address these issues.

My question to the Opposition is: Do you support the Auditor General on one hand and not support them on the other?

CLAUDIA CHENDER: Bill No. 12 does a lot more than that. The head of the Nova Scotia Government Employees Union said that the amendments that allow workers to be fired without cause erodes job security, weakens workers' rights, and puts this government on a slippery slope. The information that Nova Scotians rely on - the policies that impact their lives - depend on the non-partisan expertise of these public servants. A presenter last night said it clearly: "Do you trust public servants to tell hard truths to elected officials when they fear for their jobs?"

My question is: Will this government listen to the public outcry and stop threatening public servants?

THE SPEAKER « » : Order. (Interruptions)

Order. It doesn't matter whose fault it is. Let's do this officially. I'm going to ask the Leader of the Official Opposition whom that question is directed to.

CLAUDIA CHENDER: The Premier.

THE SPEAKER « » : The honourable Minister of Seniors and Long-term Care.

HON. BARBARA ADAMS « » : A number of these questions have been discussed during Estimates. They've been discussed during the legislation that has been introduced in front of the House. What this government is interested in is trying to make sure that government is flexible and is as efficient as possible and is accountable to the public for the money that we spend on their behalf to make sure that we are working to our maximum capacity, and that's what this legislation's about.

CLAUDIA CHENDER: One of the dozens of concerned citizens who spoke before the committee yesterday said: "I find this whole process to be undemocratic and regressive." The Premier did not mention any of the bills that are being amended in his recent campaign and only introduced them after winning a supermajority. There was no warning or consultation on these bills before they were introduced, but now hundreds of Nova Scotians have written, called, and e-mailed with feedback, many of them experts who were not consulted. Will the government finally listen to these experts and to the Nova Scotians who elected them and make the requested changes?

BARBARA ADAMS « » : The purpose of democracy is to allow everyone to have their say. That is the point, and certainly during the election that was held in October and November, the political landscape looked one way. With the American election that happened, the political landscape has changed, and our government needs to be responsive to those changes. The representatives in Opposition reflect some voices, but they do not reflect all voices. There are 55 members of the Legislature who hear from all constituents and will consider all voices.