N.S. premier to consider adopting set calendar of working days for spring, fall legislative sessions
![Legislature The House of Assembly at the Nova Scotia Legislature is pictured. (Source: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan)](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2023/11/9/legislature-1-6638366-1699562575323.jpg)
The Nova Scotia legislature was set Thursday to conclude a fall sitting marked by rancorous debate and opposition delay tactics after the government extended work hours to push through its agenda.
Frustration has boiled over from both benches over the past four weeks, prompting some members to call for an alternative to sitting in the legislature until midnight.
Premier Tim Houston told reporters his government will consider ideas such as setting a calendar of working days for the spring and fall sessions. Currently, the governing party is only required to give 30 days' notice ahead of the opening of a session, with no indication of how long it will last.
"There's no question, I think every member has been frustrated at times with how things were proceeding or not proceeding," the premier said. "So I think it is time to sit down and look for ways to make it (the legislature) more effective."
The fall sitting opened on Oct. 12, and just over a week into proceedings the Progressive Conservative government moved to extend hours following some previous delay tactics from the opposition. It extended the regular 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. work day until midnight.
The Opposition Liberals and NDP then decided to use up those extra hours by calling for recorded votes on bills clause by clause. Under the rules, that meant bells warning of a pending vote were rung for up to an hour each time, bringing house business to a halt.
"Ringing the bells for an hour and then supporting the (bill's) clause, that didn't seem to serve Nova Scotians that well," said Houston, who added that any changes should be done by considering how other provincial legislatures operate.
Opposition Liberal Leader Zach Churchill has defended the use of the bells as a filibuster tactic to keep the government in the legislature for more days, ensuring there are more question periods. But he agreed that change is needed, and he targeted the use of extended hours, which the previous Liberal government also used to its advantage.
"I don't think that hours should arbitrarily be extended for the sole purpose of getting through the house (session) sooner and having less question periods," said Churchill. "There might be extenuating circumstances where extending those hours are critical, but to do that to try to tire the opposition out or shake them off, I don't think is right."
NDP Leader Claudia Chender said she's been pushing for a set legislative calendar for almost seven years.
"We need to do what every other province in the country does, we need to know when we are required at work and have some reasonable expectation that when we're at work, we'll get things done," she said.
Government house leader Kim Masland said she would like to start considering potential changes soon but is not committing to any reforms before the spring sitting.
"I think it will take the house leaders coming together and caucuses coming together to talk about how we can make the people's house more effective and efficient," she said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2023.
For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.7029792.1725811934!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.png)
Over 200 firearms seized during Waterloo traffic stop
According to police, during the traffic stop officers noticed firearms and ammunition inside the vehicle.
They were due to leave for their dream cruise in May. Three months on they’re still stuck at the departure port
It was the years-long cruise that was supposed to set sail, but saw its departure postponed… postponed… and postponed again.
Military surplus store in Calgary, destination of celebrity shoppers, closing doors
Cher, Anthony Hopkins, Heath Ledger, Alec Baldwin and Tom Hardy are just a few of the celebrities John Cumming met while growing up in his family's military surplus store.
'It's morally wrong': A rural Alberta town reacts to homeless shelter closure
At the end of a side street in Slave Lake, Alta., Lynn Bowes looks at a grey job-site trailer with boarded-up windows and doors that once operated as her town's only homeless shelter.
The controversial plan to turn a desert green
Ties van der Hoeven's ambitions are nothing if not grand. The Dutch engineer wants to transform a huge stretch of inhospitable desert into green, fertile land teeming with wildlife.
Timeline: The rise and fall of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's political fortunes
In the wake of the NDP withdrawing its automatic support of the minority Liberal government, here is a timeline of key events charting the arc of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's fortunes in federal politics.
Tyreek Hill is briefly detained for a traffic violation ahead of Dolphins' season opener
Police are calling for an investigation into why Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill was briefly detained for a traffic violation while entering Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, hours before his team was set to open the season against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Georgia school shooting highlights fears about classroom cellphone bans
Huddling for safety in classrooms as gunfire rang out, students at Apalachee High School texted or called their parents to let them know what was happening and send what they thought could be their final messages. One student texted her mother to say she loved her, adding, 'I'm sorry I'm not the best daughter.'
Street racing, speeding in construction zones lead to over $15,000 in fines: Quebec police
Quebec provincial police (SQ) handed out over $15,000 to a series of drivers who were caught speeding and street racing on highways, including some that were construction zones.