Opposition leaders want outstanding questions answered before any early election call

Opposition leaders say that if Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston wants to call an early election, he first owes it to the public to await the results of outstanding reports and take a position on how his government will respond to the findings.

Houston told reporters earlier this month that he's no longer ruling out the potential of an election ahead of the date fixed in legislation his government passed July 15, 2025.

However, with several reports underway that are due before that date, opposition leaders say that information should be made available before a call to the polls.

For Liberal Leader Zach Churchill, that includes an economic impact analysis of the ferry service that runs between Yarmouth, N.S., and Bar Harbor,Maine, which is due sometime in the fall.

Houston has been critical in the past of the service and the millions of dollars in provincial subsidies it receives. Although ticket sales are up 18 per cent this season compared to this time last year, government officials have said the analysis will help determine if provincial subsidies are a good investment.

This year's subsidy is about $21.9 million.

Churchill, the MLA for Yarmouth, told reporters in Halifax on Thursday that tourism operators in the southwest region of the province are, in some cases, waiting to see the result of that study and the government's plans for the future of the service before making investments in their businesses.

"The premier owes it to the public not just in western Nova Scotia but to tourism operators across the province to let us know what he's going to do with that international ferry link before people vote because right now people don't know," he said.

"There's been a lot of uncertainty."

'No imminent provincial election'

In a statement, Houston's press secretary said the government has "every intention" of releasing the economic impact study "after it's been reviewed for privacy."

Catherine Klimek did not directly say whether that would happen before any election call.

"We've been clear that there is no imminent provincial election," she said.

Earlier this month, Houston said he would listen for indications of "when it becomes time for the people to have their say" in determining whether to call an early vote. In the case of a majority government, it is the premier who makes the decision of when to call an election.

The review of the ferry service is not the only outstanding report opposition leaders say needs to be completed before an election call.

Churchill and NDP Leader Claudia Chender also pointed to the ongoing review of the province's Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

Despite a promise in opposition and in the early days after becoming premier that he would promptly address shortcomings in the act and give the province's privacy commissioner order-making power, Houston has since shown less urgency around the issue.

Last September, then-justice minister Brad Johns ordered a review of the act, with recommendations due in the spring of 2025.

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On Thursday, Justice Minister Barb Adams said that timeline remains on track, but she deferred to the premier on whether the public should know the result of that work before the next election.

Chender told reporters there is a growing list of examplesof Houston taking one position when campaigning and doing something different in power.

"And so I think that absolutely we need real answers on those big questions," she said.

That includes steps to make the freedom of information and protection of privacy system more functional and better funded, she said.