Congratulations to our very own, MLA Allan MacMaster, who welcomed a baby boy this week.
Allan says Mom and baby are doing well.
We can’t wait to meet the new addition to the family!
What else happened this week:
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MLA Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin spoke to CBC Information Morning in Moncton this week about the struggles border communities have faced. People who normally would take care of their elderly parents are being refused the ability to do so, often living only minutes away from each other, but on either side of the border. She sees and hears how It's wearing on people. The pandemic has undoubtedly taken a toll on people’s mental health. We also learned that the Atlantic Bubble is set to reopen by April 19th. I know many Nova Scotians can’t wait to reunite with family in the Atlantic region.
- We continue to hear from seniors who are anxious to get their vaccine and who are frustrated with the process of booking an appointment. As other jurisdictions roll out detailed plans for COVID-19 vaccinations, delays and contradictions confuse Nova Scotians.
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Today marks International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. I’m proud to announce that the PC Critic for African Nova Scotian Affairs, MLA Brad Johns, will be introducing legislation on Tuesday, March 23, proclaiming August 1 each year as Emancipation Day in Nova Scotia. Emancipation Day recognizes not only when slavery was abolished in Canada and other British colonies (August 1, 1834), but also acknowledges African Nova Scotian peoples’ continued struggles against racial discrimination and injustices. Those injustices continue today, and are all too often not recognized, acknowledged or discussed in our everyday lives.
- Our Caucus continues to hear from concerned land owners regarding the Biodiversity Act. We all want to protect biodiversity, species at risk, our health and our planet. I will do that. The PC Party will do that. But, there are some obvious problems with Bill 4 that the government needs to address to alleviate the concerns of every private landowner in the province. I encourage you to read the legislation. Many people have asked "what can I do?" There is a process for you to potentially be heard. Before bills can become law in Nova Scotia, they have to go through the Law Amendments process. People wanting to make representations to this committee should advise the Legislative Counsel's Office by calling 902-424-8941. Once a month, I chat with Bill Martin from Six Rivers radio. Take a listen to my chat from Friday where we discuss this very issue.
Tip of the hat
I couldn’t be more proud to give a big shout out to Brody Kouwenberg of Oxford, Nova Scotia! Brody, at only 8 years old, saw something wrong, spoke up and fought to make it better.
In 2019, Brody inspired the creation of a PC bill in his name, and this week the government has finally announced plans to make sure every school has an AED on site.
For the first part of the 2018 school year, Brody wasn’t able to attend class because there was no AED on site.
Our Caucus is relieved that the government has taken our lead to make student safety a priority. We hope to see them implement our other suggestions to make other life-saving devices like EpiPens and naloxone kits available in schools.
Our thanks go out to Brody for his advocacy. We’re all incredibly proud of him.
Failing grade
I was saddened to read the experience of Lauren Howe.
On March 3, Howe said she waited 14 hours at the Halifax Infirmary only to have an IWK doctor visit her there and tell her she needed to be transferred to the IWK for a 20-minute procedure. She was having a miscarriage.
Because there is no adult emergency department at the IWK Health Centre, women in the area seeking urgent medical care before they're 20 weeks pregnant must go to the Halifax Infirmary's ER.
This woman’s experience shined a light on a gap within our healthcare system. I thank her for speaking out and bringing attention to this issue. I saw that others joined in on the conversation on social media and shared similar experiences.
One in four pregnancies will end in a miscarriage. A heartbreaking and difficult stat.
So what can we do? We can start by listening to women share their experiences and make sure that in the future, this doesn’t happen. We can make sure that they’re in the right healthcare environment if this happens to them and that follow-up care includes resources and mental health supports.
Committees
There are no committees meeting next week. We will be back in the legislature on Tuesday.
Until next week,
Tim