Nova Scotia.

• Author: Boucher, Annette M.
• Position: Legislative Reports

Spring sitting 2015

The spring sitting commenced on March 26, 2015 and ended on May 11, 2015.

During this sitting 29 government bills were introduced and 26 government bills received Royal Assent. The remaining three government bills were left on the Order Paper--two received second reading and one was introduced on the last day of the Spring sitting.

The Financial Measures (2015) Act was the subject of approximately 22 hours of debate in the House during the spring sitting. Five recorded votes were taken during the hours of debate. The debate centered on the film industry tax credit cut, a topic that the industry kept in the public eye through the media and by organized public protests during the debate.

Two private and local bills received Royal Assent during the sitting.

During the sitting, 19 private Members' bills were introduced, none was passed by the House, and they remain inscribed on the Order Paper.

By-elections

There were three vacant seats in the House of Assembly during much of the Spring sitting. On June 13 by-elections were called for July 14, 2015. The Sydney-Whitney Pier seat, previously held by Gordie Gosse for the NDP, was won by Derek Mombourquette for the Liberals. The Cape Breton Centre seat, previously held by Frank Corbett for the NDP, was won by David Wilton for the Liberals. The Dartmouth South seat, previously held by Allan Rowe for the Liberals, was won by Marian Mancini for the NDP.

The current party standings in the House are: Liberals 34, PC 10, NDP 6 and 1 Independent. There are 36 male MLAs and 15 female MLAs.

Cabinet Shuffle

On July 24, 2015, Premier Stephen McNeil announced changes to the Executive Council. This was the first Cabinet shuffle since the Liberal government was elected in October 2013.

The changes are as follows:

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