Allan MacMaster; photo courtesy NS PC party
The province’s Tories say they want to get back to the legislature.
MLAs haven’t sat in Province House since the start of the pandemic.
Allan MacMaster, the Tory house leader and the MLA for Inverness, says we’re the only province in the country that hasn’t met- either in-person or virtually- since COVID-19.
MacMaster says they’re required by law to hold a fall sitting.
“We’ve been living with the pandemic for many months now, and most people have tried to adapt and get back to work and school,” he says. “The legislature has yet to be called back.”
MacMaster says MLAs only sat for 13 days before the pandemic.
He says it’s not surprising, given Stephen McNeil and the Liberals’ recent track record on transparency.
“This government has disdain for democracy- I know that sounds dramatic, but this is part of a pattern,” he says. “All of the committees have been shut down- they just restarted them, but they were shut down for months.
MacMaster says there are different ways to communicate with constituents, but Province House is where they work, draw attention to issues and discuss them.
He says 30 days notice is required before the legislature can be recalled, so the earliest they could return is late November, leaving little time for a full fall sitting.
