Nova Scotia passes bill taking away Crown attorneys' right to arbitration, but goes back to bargaining table
“. . .
The pressure got to the Nova Scotia government and that’s why it couldn’t go all the way with legislation taking away the right of Crown attorneys in the province to binding arbitration, says NDP justice critic Claudia Chender.
‘I think the government felt the pressure of trying to pass unconstitutional legislation over a group of lawyers,’ Chender said Friday, shortly after the government passed Bill 203, which, if proclaimed into law, would break the very agreement it signed with the Nova Scotia Crown Attorneys’ Association three years ago.
. . .
Both Chender and Tory Leader Tim Houston said they were appalled by Furey's comments and argued that the province had no choice but to extend something of an olive branch to the group.
‘We really had a shocking issue, where the integrity of the public service was called into play by the minister that governs them,’ said Chender. ‘I was hearing about mass resignations in response to those comments. I think the Crowns were furious and I think they had a right to be furious’
. . .”