N.S. premier looks ahead to 2025 with strong legislative majority

Health care has defined Premier Tim Houston’s time in office more than any other issue. He made a pledge to address the problem during the 2021 Nova Scotia election, and more than three years later it remains a complex challenge for thousands of people in the province.

Houston, who won re-election in decisive fashion with a 43-seat supermajority in November, said his government is still focused on health care, citing the introduction of the Patient Access to Care Act (which sought to open Nova Scotia to out-of-province health-care professionals) as a step in the right direction.

“The Patient Access to Care Act deals with common sense credentialing,” Houston told CTV News Atlantic’s Todd Battis during a year-end interview. “Not everyone in the legislature voted for that act – certainly all the PC members did – but it did pass.

“At the time I said that was a really significant moment for health care, not only in Nova Scotia, but in the country.”

Houston said the new act helped raise the number of nurses in Nova Scotia and the government is looking at a possible travel nurse program.

“Some people say, ‘Hey, I like that kind of travel aspect where I am moving around and learning different things and working in different environments,’” he said. “They've had to go outside of the province to get that, outside of the provincial employment structure to get that. Bringing that program in-house, we will be able to offer those opportunities to nurses.”

Meeting with Trudeau

Houston, who called the snap election that brought his party back to the legislature stronger than before, said he wanted a fresh mandate from Nova Scotians to help in negotiations with the federal government.

“I thought we needed a fresh new mandate, you know, to not have an election holding over top that might kind of taint the way (the federal government) interacts with the with me as premier, with Nova Scotia in general,” Houston said.

Houston met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau following the election to discuss issues like funding for protection of the Chignecto Isthmus.

“It was a positive meeting and whether or not it's as productive as I hope it was, time will tell,” he said. “We talked about things we agree on that hopefully we can get to a better place on like the Isthmus and some of these things.

“I did think that the tone was different, certainly, than the last few prior meetings I had with them, and that that's a good start for sure.”

NATO spending

Houston said the federal government’s pledge to increase its contributions to NATO could make a significant impact on Nova Scotia.

“I grew up in a military family, so I'm a little biased towards those who served, but when you think about their presence in our province, (they’re) really important to our economy,” he said. “We have lots of wharves and a shipbuilding tradition…so I do think that as that spending increases, we could be a beneficiary of that.

“I've made that pitch to the prime minister as well. But I think, you know, we should honour that NATO obligation and we should be conscious of our protection of our borders.”

President-elect Donald Trump has made Canadian border security a major issue amid the tariff talks.

“I think he has serious concerns and in terms of, you know, drugs and border protection and stuff, obviously Nova Scotians would share those concerns,” Houston said. “I think his concerns are serious and I think they're probably legitimate. It shouldn't take the threat of a tariff war make us act.

“It's got my attention, has the attention of premiers and certainly the prime minister and his team as well. I'm hopeful that we can get to a better place. Twenty-five per cent tariff would have a real devastating effect.”

Tax breaks

One of Houston’s major promises on the campaign trail was to reduce the provincial portion of the harmonized sales tax (HST) by one per cent. On Dec. 10, his government passed a motion to do that starting April 1, 2025.

“It's time for lower taxes,” he said. “That's an investment in Nova Scotians to help with affordability. That was a really important step that first day to get that motion passed.”

During the election, the federal government announced its plan to implement a tax break on certain items. Houston said the decision caught him by surprise, but he doesn’t expect it to affect Nova Scotia’s HST plans.

“We know affordability is a big issue,” he said. “It's on the minds of all Nova Scotians, all Canadians. I appreciate the sentiment of what they're trying to do.

“But the agreement between Nova Scotia and certain provinces – but certainly Nova Scotia and the federal government – is that we consult on these things. I respect the spirit of what they're trying to do, so we're on board with that, but there's a few moving parts, and we're not going to slow with the tax break.”

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