Nova Scotia Speaker Scraps Planned Legislature Bans Days Before Fall Sitting

Nova Scotia’s legislature will not begin its fall sitting with 36 people barred from the premises after Speaker Danielle Barkhouse reversed the bans late Friday.

The temporary exclusions took effect on Sept. 1 after protesters opposing government budget cuts disrupted the spring sitting. They broke into song and later shouted from the gallery, delaying a vote that passed the following day.

Barkhouse said the Nova Scotia Arts Coalition, opposition parties and the Progressive Conservative government had all opposed the bans. She said she remained concerned about the protest, calling the disruption unlawful and a breach of parliamentary privilege.

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If disruptions of the house are permitted to occur unfettered, the house will be paralyzed and the work of elected representatives stymied.

The Speaker warned that a repeat could bring immediate consequences. Protesters could be removed from the gallery and, if they continued, barred from the legislature grounds and a committee room in a nearby office building.

“If disruptions of the house are permitted to occur unfettered, the house will be paralyzed and the work of elected representatives stymied,” Barkhouse said. “There is nothing democratic about this. The actions of the disrupters must not be condoned.” Provincial politicians are due to return to the legislature on Tuesday.

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There is nothing democratic about this. The actions of the disrupters must not be condoned.