N.S. Opposition wants dismissal provisions for civil servants halted until PCs can explain rationale

Jean Laroche · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 18, 2025 6:52 PM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

The curate successful complaint of Nova Scotia's civilian work said Tuesday a measure that would let the state to get escaped of non-union authorities employees without origin volition proceed unchanged.

That's contempt disapproval levelled astatine the authorities for giving itself that powerfulness connected Monday when Bill 1 was up for nationalist remark astatine the legislature's caller committee connected nationalist bills.

Retired Justice Department lawyer Pat Clahane said the alteration successful the instrumentality would permission cardinal civilian servants specified arsenic Nova Scotia's main aesculapian serviceman of wellness with little occupation information than "somebody who's been slinging java and doughnuts for 12 years."

Others suggested the determination was designed to nonstop a connection to nationalist servants that they needed to propulsion the government's governmental docket guardant unhindered.

But the curate of the Public Service Commission told reporters Tuesday that was not the lawsuit and that anyone fto spell arsenic a effect of immoderate reorganization would beryllium looked after.

"Everyone's going to beryllium treated fairly," said Twila Grosse, who reiterated the government's rationale for needing this caller power. 

"Our state is growing," she said. "We request the close accomplishment acceptable astatine this time to guarantee that we're capable to proceed to turn the state and bash the things that we're doing."

Grosse said thing she had heard during the committee proceeding gave her pause.

"That authorities volition remain," she said. "And that authorities is akin to authorities successful Ontario and Manitoba and it is working."

Asked astir a clause successful the measure that allows the state to bypass Nova Scotia's Labour Standards Code and the basal occupation extortion afforded conscionable astir each idiosyncratic successful the province, Grosse seemed caught disconnected guard.

"With regards to the Labour Standards Code, this measure offers employees just compensation."

But the measure explicitly excludes those who suffer their jobs arsenic a effect of these changes from those basal protections.

"We'll get backmost to you with regards to that," said Grosse erstwhile pressed for an mentation astir the request for that peculiar exclusion. "Sorry astir that."

'Deeply concerning,' says Opposition leader

NDP Leader Claudia Chender called it "deeply concerning" that the curate was incapable to supply an explanation. 

"That's a question we request this curate to beryllium capable to reply for us. What we person heard from presenters is that this could good mean that public-sector workers person little protections than workers with seniority astatine a retailer oregon a nutrient work establishment," Chender said.

"The information that this authorities cannot reply the question arsenic to wherefore they felt the request to do this means that this proviso should, astatine the precise least, beryllium held until they tin reply those questions."

Hours aft the minister's scrum with reporters, Ama Lorenz, communications director astatine the Public Service Commission, offered further accusation successful an emailed statement.

"With this alteration employees dismissed without origin volition automatically person the close to person just compensation successful enactment with their years of service, but not reinstatement," the connection said. "Compensation volition beryllium included successful regulations and volition transcend the statutory minimums for dismissal without origin nether the Labour Standards code."