Surprise Agenda Abandon - QP
THE SPEAKER « » : The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition.
CLAUDIA CHENDER: Speaker, Nova Scotians want to know why this government continues to push ahead with its surprise agenda. This government wants to give themselves the power to fire public servants without cause, lift long-standing protections on our land and water without warning, restrict freedom of information access for Nova Scotians and strip universities of their independence. All of this with no conversation, no consultation, no justification. Why is this government still pushing ahead with these changes?
THE PREMIER « » : The real surprise was that our best friend and ally launched a trade war on us - an economic war, that was the word. That was a surprise. When you get a surprise like that you need to respond. You need to respond quickly, you need to respond as effectively as you possibly can, and you certainly need to respond with precision. That's what we're doing. The Opposition - they can try to slow us down and they can pretend that what's happening in the world is not happening. Speaker, that doesn't change things. It is happening and we will respond and we will continue to respond.
CLAUDIA CHENDER: Speaker, that's a convenient but terrifying cover for an agenda that seeks to consolidate power. This morning, the president of the Saint Mary's University Faculty Union said the government's plan to strip universities of their independence is "the most extreme act of political interference in higher education in Canadian history." Universities don't want this. Faculty don't want this. Students don't want this. Nova Scotians don't want this; otherwise, it would have been part of the recent election campaign. Why does this government want to control what Nova Scotians can study and research at our post-secondary institutions?
THE PREMIER « » : I don't know if you remember, Speaker. I don't know if the Opposition will remember - certainly some members in this House remember - a time not that long ago when the Opposition was crying foul about supporting the AG: You have to support the Auditor General; how dare you? Actually, a lot of the things in this bill are as a result of the Auditor General's report. We actually respect the Auditor General, not just at a time when it's politically convenient. When the Auditor General does her work, we respect it. Speaker, what's really surprising to me is the degree to which the member will try to stoke the fears of Nova Scotians on things that just aren't true. We'll focus . . .
THE SPEAKER « » : Order. The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition.
CLAUDIA CHENDER: The Auditor General has called out this government for failing to clearly contract with the universities that it picks as winners and signs cheques for. If this bill fixes part of that, great. Stripping the universities of their independence did not have a single drop of ink in the Auditor General's report. This government seems to believe that it can make sweeping changes without telling Nova Scotians what it is doing or why. Nova Scotians deserve a say in decisions that affect their rights, their jobs, and their communities. They have come out in droves to say so.
The Premier can call them negative, call them special interests, call them names as much as he wants. It doesn't change the fact that he refuses to listen. What is the plan to address Nova Scotians' concerns?
THE PREMIER « » : I think, last year, that Nova Scotians, the taxpayers of this province, invested close to $500 million in universities. It's an investment we're happy to make but it comes with some accountability. That's what Nova Scotians are asking us to do and that's what we will continue to do.
We don't need to stoke up the fears. We don't need to misrepresent what is really happening. Remember when the Opposition was saying: How dare the government get rid of the Law Amendments Committee? What an affront; there will be no mechanism for Nova Scotians to speak directly.
That wasn't true then; it's not true now. I think we're in our third day of Nova Scotians coming and speaking to the government. We will continue to do that. Let's speak to the facts, Speaker. That's what Nova Scotians want. That's what we'll deliver on.