N.S. NDP calls for increased government accountability

Michael Gorman · CBC News

· Posted: Nov 07, 2025 5:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 12 hours ago

NDP Leader Claudia Chender says her enactment would amended accountability by overhauling the province’s lobbyist registry if they formed government.

In the meantime, she appointed an morals and accountability professional to support tabs connected what she called the “shady decisions and secretive practices” of Premier Tim Houston’s government.

“This authorities is playing accelerated and escaped with Nova Scotians,” Chender told reporters astatine a quality league Thursday astatine Province House.

“With our environment, with our money, with our wellness attraction and with immoderate fig of different things, and it’s clip for it to stop.”

Chender listed respective issues she said rise questions astir whether the authorities is focused connected improving the lives of everyone successful the province, oregon radical who enactment it.

A lobbyist registry 'in sanction only'

She highlighted untendered contracts for Sobeys and the Atlantic subdivision of Enterprise Canada related to Nova Scotia Loyal, speech of intervening connected a Halifax Regional Municipality bylaw that would forestall infilling astatine Dartmouth Cove and the information of a connection from Cabot Cape Breton to make a play people successful West Mabou Beach Provincial Park.

Chender noted that Houston’s authorities did not intervene erstwhile HRM passed a bylaw related to infilling successful the Halifax Arm — but she said the proprietor of the institution that has projected infilling Dartmouth Cove is idiosyncratic Houston has identified arsenic a adjacent idiosyncratic friend.

Meanwhile, Cabot Cape Breton is not listed successful the province’s lobbyist registry, nor is erstwhile PC premier Rodney MacDonald, who has done enactment for the company.

“We person a lobbyist registry close now, but truly successful sanction only,” said Chender.

“We request a registry that has teeth truthful that Nova Scotians recognize who is influencing the authorities spending their money.”

New professional relation focused connected accountability, ethics

Chender announced Thursday that Sackville-Cobequid MLA Paul Wozney would go the party’s morals and accountability critic. The intent of the caller presumption is to support a sustained absorption connected authorities spending, whether it’s moving and whether determination are questionable patterns oregon connections that should beryllium highlighted, said Chender.

Wozney said the relation is simply a nonstop merchandise of the existent governmental climate, successful which “Trump-style politics” overload the nationalist with information, making it hard to way authorities activity.

He said the Houston authorities was elected connected mandates to hole wellness attraction and code lodging and affordability concerns. But since the past predetermination determination has besides been a hard crook to absorption connected earthy assets improvement and extraction, thing Wozney said the nationalist did not get a accidental on.

Houston has said the pivot was a effect of the changing governmental clime successful the United States and the economical menace posed by tariffs from southbound of the border.

Wozney said helium doesn’t bargain that.

“I deliberation the authorities has utilized the threats of tariffs and the fears of Donald Trump to bash a batch of things that are profoundly unpalatable to Nova Scotians,” helium told reporters.

“But you don’t support radical from Trump by being similar him.”

"We invited accountability and the accidental to pass the actions we are taking to enactment Nova Scotians with the Opposition, and straight to Nova Scotians."

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