Generally, at this point deep in the election cycle, a throne speech would – after the requisite crowing about the government’s brilliant record – be largely aspirational; more of an election platform preview than a blueprint for governing.
But, like the session of the legislature it opened, Tuesday’s throne speech is a bit of a hybrid – partly aspirational and partly tangible action the government seems intent on taking, or at least starting, before it calls an election.
The latter is in keeping with the determination of Nova Scotia’s premier of two weeks, Iain Rankin, to establish a record of his own before asking for a mandate from Nova Scotians.
As a political strategy, it makes some sense.
Rankin will embrace the best and try to leave behind the rest of the record he’s inheriting from the Liberal government Stephen McNeil led for the past seven-plus years, and Rankin was part of from 2017 until he ran for the Liberal leadership last fall. He spent the Liberals’ first term, from 2013 to 2017, on the backbenches.
Striking out on one's own
The provincial government’s success in keeping Nova Scotians safe from COVID; its fiscal record – four consecutive balanced budgets before COVID arrived; record levels of immigration. and reversing the trend from a declining to a growing population, are all aspects of McNeil’s legacy that Rankin wants to be associated with.
Other than those few highlights, the speech didn’t crow much about the government’s record, for the fairly obvious reason that the government wasn’t Rankin’s until two weeks ago yesterday.
After connecting his government with its predecessor on a few specifics, the speech, like Rankin’s government, struck out on its own, highlighting what Liberals say is an ambitious program and a bold new direction, although neither claim made it into the speech.
If it’s not clear by now, Iain Rankin’s government wants to be – or, at least, to be seen to be – mostly about inclusion, economic equality and respect for the environment.
These three elements are “the threads of steel that support the foundations of our (government’s) plan,” the speech declared, and more will likely be revealed in the days to come to help Nova Scotians understand what the heck that means.
But part of it seems to be looking at government through a different lens.
What's really new
Rankin’s government, like many new administrations before his, will undertake a program review, but Rankin will use a new and different lens.
Programs will be reviewed this year to determine whether they improve the quality of life of Nova Scotians, enhance social well being, protect the most vulnerable and do no environmental harm.
That’s new.
Past reviews have focused on whether programs were delivering value for dollars and meeting whatever need they were intended to address.
To establish his own record prior to the next provincial election, Rankin and his government will need to work fast.
He has about 15 months left in the mandate McNeil’s Liberals won in 2017, and that’s only if he takes the government’s term to its absolute five-year limit.
Next election
Most Liberals want to see Rankin go to the polls sooner rather than later, in order to capitalize on the good will the incumbent government earned by – mostly and so far – keeping COVID under control.
But the speech contained a number of initiatives – the tangible action Rankin wants to take to establish his record – that Nova Scotians can expect to see some progress on before they’re asked to vote for their next provincial government.
Those include accelerated action to implement the ecological forestry practices recommended in the Lahey report; help for the tourism sector that’s been decimated by the pandemic; something to address the affordable housing crisis in Nova Scotia, as well as action to improve access to mental health and to improve the quality of long-term care.
That’s a lot to get done, or even stated, in a short period of time, and it doesn’t include anything specially and clearly related to the government self-identified priorities of inclusion and economic equality. (The environment is covered by implementing Lahey.)
The hybrid session of the legislature, by the way, is all about practising safe COVID protocols. There will be no more than 12 MLAs in the legislature at any one time to allow for distancing. The rest of the 51-member assembly will attend virtually.
