Opposition leaders in Nova Scotia say it’s time the provincial government faces the music and resumes taking unimpeded questions from reporters and committee members, calling it a key piece of a functional democracy.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, reporters have only been permitted to question Premier Stephen McNeil via teleconference.
Each outlet must register ahead of time and is only permitted one question and one followup.
It’s vastly different from the typical in-person scrums seen daily at Province House when MLAs are sitting.
“The matter of having a give-and-take of questioning with reporters and media, this is not some little trivial matter,” said Gary Burrill, the leader of Nova Scotia’s NDP. “This is right near the top of the list of how democracy functions.”
PC Leader Tim Houston echoes Burrill’s comments.
Both parties have recently held in-person press conferences while respecting physical distancing and health and safety guidelines.
Their thinking is, if they can do it, the people making decisions that affect all Nova Scotians can as well.
“There’s lots of important issues that need to be discussed,” said Houston. “And when democracy’s not functioning properly… government’s not held accountable and they’re not answering the questions they need to answer.
“Accountability leads to good decision-making.”
Restrictions have been loosened on businesses, gathering limits and travellers from other Atlantic provinces.
Houston believes the premier’s refusal to return to in-person discussions with reporters, as well as keeping committees from meeting, is being done to avoid accountability.
“It doesn’t make sense to me,” he said. “Every legislature across the country is meeting in one form or another.
“We’ve been encouraging the premier to get committees back to return the functions of opposition and media so we can talk about the important issues of the day.”
Burrill says the government’s unwillingness to allow reporters in the room or opposition members to ask questions in committees is evident as businesses, organizations and people alike have all changed the way they operate to resume as much normal activity as possible.
He says the government should be no different.
“It seems to me preposterous that the government of Nova Scotia is not able to figure it out,” he said. “It’s their responsibility not to say, ‘Oh, we have this problem or that problem, we don’t think we can make it work’
“Their responsibility is to figure it out.”
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