“I have the power to close Parliament if I want to,” Bain told reporters at the Red Room at Province House. The PC MLA for Victoria the Lakes said it had asked the government not to make assessments until next week, effectively blocking budget approval, until it was convinced the process could proceed safely. He made a similar request Wednesday, which was rejected by Government House Speaker Kim Masland, who also said the computers would not comply with Bain’s proposal to suspend the house. “We are not prepared to close the house until Tuesday,” Masland told reporters Wednesday. He made a more compromising tone on Thursday. “On the advice of the President, we have postponed the estimates for this afternoon and tomorrow and the estimates will meet again on Monday,” Masland said. She and opposition leaders Liberal Derek Mombourquette and New Democrat Claudia Chender are still negotiating a possible transition to a hybrid form, but Bain has hinted that he will not let these debates last. “My level of comfort at the moment is not good because with the number of people there, we know it will spread a little more,” Bain said. “What is the dead end? We have not really thought about it at this point.” The last person found positive is not a politician, but an official who is an integral part of the legislative process. Bain said the search is ongoing for a possible replacement, but it could be difficult to sell as five MLAs and one employee who was in the chamber tested positive. “This is something we are trying to work on, it is to see if there is anyone else available who could fill in as an employee,” Bain said. “There are some people out there who may be available and may just say, ‘Eh, sorry, not right now.’ The speaker hopes that the three parties can reach an agreement on the transition to a hybrid format, similar to the one used last spring. At that time, only a handful of MLAs were allowed in the room. Most had to connect via Zoom, from their home or office. Computers only want those who can not attend in person to participate online.
“We knew he was coming”
This debate started last Sunday, but has not yet created a formula that is acceptable to the Liberals or the NDP. To change the rules of the house to make hybrid meeting possible again, PCs need the support of some members of the opposition. Currently, the PC parliamentary group has dropped four members as a result of COVID-19. Prime Minister Tim Houston wants to be able to participate in the debate virtually. “The Nova Scotians get up and go to work every day, just like the MLA,” Houston said. Mombourquette blamed the prime minister for the controversy because she did not anticipate the possibility of an explosion and worked with the opposition in advance. “Of course we knew this was coming,” Mombourquette said. “Everyone knew this was going to happen.” “We are still in a pandemic. Whether the Prime Minister wants to admit it or not, COVID is still a reality for all of us here in communities across Nova Scotia.”
Waiting for the parties to agree
Chender expressed a similar feeling. “The president approached all the leaders of the House before the convening of Parliament to ask us to discuss what would happen in this event, which was more or less a statistic and the government did not want to talk,” he said. “And here we are.” Bain said at the moment that he would wait for the parties to reach an agreement, but suggested that he could terminate the legislature if necessary. “I think in order for democracy to work, it has to be done,” Bain said. “Until the time comes and I have to do it.”
