It’s been a difficult week. Removing a colleague of four years was not a decision that was made lightly, but was necessary and was supported unanimously by the entire PC Caucus.
What else happened this week:
- Whether you are graduating from high school, community college or university, big congratulations to you! Not only have you accomplished this milestone but you did it under very difficult circumstances. We have incredible talent and potential in our young people and I hope your next chapter continues in Nova Scotia.
- With Nova Scotia last in the country in fully-vaccinated people, we saw the booking system create confusion for Nova Scotians this week trying to book their second shot. The Rankin government has long promoted an age-based approach, but last Friday earlier appointments were offered to people in their 20s, bumping them well ahead of Nova Scotians in their 70s who booked weeks ago. If the government is moving away from age-based then the Premier should explain that. Everyone is eager to get their second shot, but it should follow a fair approach.
- At last week’s Natural Resources and Economic Development Committee, Pat Dunn, MLA for Pictou Centre, asked an official from the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture about the risks of changing temperatures for future generations of lobster fishers. Click here to read the coverage of the meeting.
Tip of the hat
This week, there was a long-overdue Palliative Care announcement held in Lunenburg.
Queens-Shelburne MLA Kim Masland has been advocating for dedicated palliative care beds in the South Shore since she was elected. Everyone, no matter where they live, deserves respectful, end-of-life care in a comforting, private setting.
Like Kim said, there are incredible staff and there is incredible care being delivered on the South Shore from our palliative team. They have been doing the best they can but there have been significant gaps. The fact we had no designated acute palliative care beds in any of the three hospitals and no community-based hospice beds is not acceptable.
We think and thank the advocacy work by John Briand and his wife Jennifer Briand. Briand became aware of the issue through his wife. She worked as a caregiver coordinator on the South Shore, but it wasn’t until she was diagnosed with cancer and required palliative care herself that she confided in her husband the issues she had come across on the job.
Failing grade
Tired old-school politics 101...
...is going around the province leading up to the election and making long-overdue investments in an effort to buy votes.
I remember being in Cape Breton on the eve of two by-election calls there two years ago, witnessing spending announcement after spending announcement. The voters saw it for what it was and sent a message to the Liberals by electing our very own Murray Ryan and Brian Comer.
We don’t have fixed election dates in Nova Scotia. We should, and the Liberals have previously promised fixed election dates, but they broke that promise.
In the last two weeks, we’ve seen the Liberals travelling around the province spending taxpayers’ money on the eve of calling an election. We also heard that the Premier has been hosting expensive fundraisers for Liberal donors. Clearly Premier Rankin is focused on an election, and that means he’s not focused on getting through COVID-19. We’ve seen what happens when the Premier loses focus on containing the pandemic.
Committees
The Standing Committee on Human Resources will meet to discuss youth workforce programs, and will make agency, board and commission appointments.
Committee witnesses will be: Duff Montgomerie, Deputy Minister; Marjorie Davison, CEO, Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency; and Nancy Hoddinott, Senior Executive Director, Skills and Learning Branch from the Department of Labour and Advanced Education.
Until next week,
Tim