PCs continue efforts to reduce opposition question time at N.S. legislative committees

Michael Gorman · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 22, 2025 2:07 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

Progressive Conservative MLAs resumed a process connected Tuesday that they started earlier this twelvemonth to trim the time absorption parties person to inquire questions during legislative committees.

Government members of the lasting committee connected veterans affairs utilized their bulk to springiness themselves an further 10 minutes for questions astatine the disbursal of the third-place Liberals. Now the Tories volition get 30 minutes, the NDP 20 minutes and the Liberals 10 minutes during the archetypal circular of questioning.

That's a interruption from the customized of each of the 3 parties getting 20 minutes. In the consequent round, which successful the past was arsenic divided 3 ways, the PCs volition present person 50 per cent of the clip that remains, with the NDP and Liberals splitting the different half.

During Tuesday's meeting, NDP MLA Suzy Hansen said she was disappointed to spot the authorities bring guardant the same motion that was pushed through at the quality resources and assemblage services committees successful February.

"Transparency and accountability are weakened whenever limitations are placed connected the magnitude of the clip members of the absorption person to talk and inquire questions," Hansen said.

"Committees are an accidental for each of america to enactment unneurotic to marque definite that we tin amended things for each Nova Scotians and we should not beryllium playing authorities by saying that 1 enactment deserves much clip than the other."

• PCs usage bulk to trim opposition's question clip astatine N.S. legislative committees

• Tory authorities uses supermajority to alteration N.S. legislature rules

When the PCs made the changes astatine erstwhile committees, they argued it was successful the involvement of fairness due to the fact that they person truthful galore members. The enactment elected 43 MLAs in the past predetermination compared to the NDP's 9 and the Liberals' two. There is besides 1 Independent MLA successful the legislature.

PC MLAs Nick Hilton, Chris Palmer, Ryan Robicheau, Melissa Sheehy-Richard and Damian Stoilov supported the regularisation alteration for the veterans affairs committee.

Later connected Tuesday during a gathering of the lasting committee connected earthy resources wherever the PCs besides pushed done changes to clip allotment, New Democrat MLA Susan Leblanc noted the committee's erstwhile customized was for MLAs to simply rise their manus if they had a question and the committee seat would support a speakers list.

Leblanc said that if the committee is to determination to clip allocation, it should beryllium divided evenly 3 ways.

Progressive Conservative MLAs who voted successful favour of the alteration during that gathering were David Bowlby, Brad Johns, Kyle MacQuarrie, Tom Taggart and Julie Vanexan.