Less than one week after the Nova Scotia premier dropped her from cabinet, Becky Druhan says she is leaving the Progressive Conservative caucus to sit as an Independent because of differences with the government’s “leadership.”
Druhan, the former minister of justice and attorney general, said in a news release it has become clear there were “some differences in principle” between her views and “those of leadership.” Druhan did not mention Premier Tim Houston by name.
In an interview, Druhan declined to explain in more detail why she decided to leave the government benches. “I have to respect cabinet confidentiality,” she said. “In terms of any specific issues my focus right now is really on serving the people of Lunenburg West.”
Neither would Druhan say whether she was uncomfortable with the government’s refusal to release a report on environmental racism or with the recently passed Bill 127, which bans protests on logging access roads and was heavily criticized by Mi’kmaq chiefs who said the bill was rushed through the legislature with no consultation.
The report on environmental racism — instances in which coal plants, toxic waste facilities and other environmentally hazardous activities are located near communities of colour, Indigenous territories and the working poor — fell under Druhan’s watch as the minister responsible for the Office of Equity and Anti-Racism. The Criminal Code provisions of Bill 127 fall under the Justice Department.
Get daily National news
“I am confident in and stand behind every decision that I have made while in my role as MLA and in cabinet,” said Druhan.
She also confirmed that when the cabinet shuffle was announced she was offered the opportunity to stay on as minister of opportunities and social development, but turned the portfolio down.
Druhan said becoming an Independent member of the legislature will allow her to place renewed focus on her constituency.
“My commitment has always been to serve with integrity and diligence.” she said. “I will continue to support the government’s efforts where they align with the needs and interests of Lunenburg West and of Nova Scotians more broadly.”
Druhan, who has also served as minister of education, had been a member of Houston’s cabinet since the Progressive Conservatives came to power in August 2021. She was dropped in last Tuesday’s shuffle along with another cabinet veteran, Tory Rushton, who had held the natural resources portfolio.
The surprise cabinet shuffle, which was announced through a news release, led interim Liberal leader Derek Mombourquette to speculate about whether there were “problems within the Tory caucus.”
- Alberta invokes notwithstanding clause to stop court challenges of transgender laws
- Alberta’s plan to let doctors work publicly and privately worries critics, health-care advocates
- Joly accuses PQ leader of steering Quebec toward Trump with U.S. outreach
- Premiers hint at ‘significant’ tariff relief to come after Carney meeting
In an emailed response, Catherine Klimek, a spokeswoman for the premier’s office, would only say that Druhan had “informed us she would be leaving the PC caucus.”
“We wish her all the best,” was Klimek’s short reply.
Druhan will join Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin as the legislature’s only sitting Independent members.
Smith-McCrossin is also a former Tory. She was dismissed from the Progressive Conservative caucus by Houston in June 2021 after expressing support for a blockade at the Nova Scotia-New Brunswick boundary related to COVID-19 guidelines.
In a news release late Monday, she welcomed Druhan as an Independent.
“This moment also points to deeper concerns with how the current government operates,” said Smith-McCrossin. “Government MLAs are tightly controlled by a party machine. That limits honest debate and makes it hard to raise local concerns on behalf of their constituents if they don’t fit the script.”
Comments