When absence of consultation can become a political headache
AnalysisMichael Gorman
| CBC News | Posted: June 8, 2025 9:00 AM | Last Updated: 2
hours ago
N.S. government has faced heat for approach on natural
resources, other policies
Image | Tim Houston March 5 2025
Caption: Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston has faced criticism at
times for a perception that his government does not consult
enough before announcing policy plans. (CBC News)
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In the afterglow of his party forming government in 2021 on the
strength of a promise to fix health care, Premier Tim Houston
and other senior officials set out on a tour across Nova Scotia
to hear directly from health-care workers about how to help an
ailing system.
Those consultations would lead to a variety of programs and
initiatives, based on feedback from people directly involved,
that helped the Tories begin to make progress on a file that
had become a political headache for previous governments.
In the second term of Houston's Progressive Conservative
government, however, people could be forgiven for being
skeptical about just how interested the Tories are in
consulting with the public, and whether feedback they receive
will be reflected in policy and programs.
Image | Tim Houston
Caption: One of the first things Tim Houston did after becoming
premier in 2021 was tour Nova Scotia with other officials to
meet with health-care workers. (Robert Short/CBC)
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Houston came off a resounding election win in November only to
go into the next session at the legislature with a number of
bills that caught most people off guard because none of it was
discussed during the election.
That included a bill that would have clipped the powers of the
auditor general and privacy commissioner, give the government
the power to fire non-union civil servants without cause, and
lift bans and moratoriums on uranium exploration and mining and
hydraulic fracturing for onshore natural gas.
As the natural resources bill was making its way through the
legislature, Houston responded to criticism about a lack of
consultation by saying that bans had to be removed before
conversations could be had.
But since the Tories passed the bill, Mi'kmaw chiefs and
municipal government officials continue to feel left out of any
discussions, and Natural Resources Minister Tory Rushton
announced a call for proposals for uranium exploration before
letters could even land in the mailboxes of potentially
affected property owners.
Unintended consequences
There was also an absence of conversation on the government's
plan to make parking free at health-care sites. Sources say the
Tories were warned of potential implications at hospitals in
Halifax Regional Municipality, but the government pushed ahead
anyway before steps could be taken to lessen impacts on
health-care staff.
In the face of major blowback, the government retreated on
increased parking fees for health-care workers and is now
scrambling to find whatever new spaces it can, including
spending $1 million to upgrade land it already owns on South
Street near the IWK Health Centre and Victoria General
Hospital.
A lack of consultation caused the Tories headaches even on
legislation that should have been an easy public relations win.
Houston's bill to help knock down interprovincial trade
barriers was lauded by other provinces and premiers who said
they would follow his lead.
The problem for the premier was no one bothered to talk to
professional regulators before the bill was introduced. They
quickly pointed out flaws that, had the government not amended
the bill, would have prevented regulators from being able to
provide oversight and detect people posing as professionals.
A government's prerogative
Houston and his team will say that change, along with changes
to the bill that would have affected the auditor general and
privacy commissioner, are signs of a government willing to
listen to feedback. But consultation ahead of time would have
identified the flaws that created problems for the Tories in
the first place.
When it wants to, this government can lead a thorough and
thoughtful consultation process. Along with the health tour and
other efforts to get feedback from health-care workers, the
recent work related to the new student code of conduct was
mostly well received. The government is also in the midst of
consultation about the potential of changing the rules
governing where alcohol can be sold.
But then there is the process used for the Coastal Protection
Act, where the government disregarded documented results in
favour of a different direction. That's its prerogative, but it
can risk creating widespread cynicism.
Much is made of the supermajority Houston won last November,
and what it means for his government's ability to advance its
agenda. But that supermajority also means that when the
government does something that upsets the public, there's an
increased chance a PC MLA will be the one fielding angry
telephone calls, office visits or emails from constituents.
The next election might be three or four years away, but an
accumulated perception that a government won't take the time to
ask questions or seek feedback before pushing ahead with plans
can be difficult to overcome when voters next turn their minds
to casting a ballot.
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