Nova Scotia.

• Author: Fordham, Art
• Position: Legislative Reports - Report

The House held a special sitting on October 25, 2007 for the purpose of electing a Speaker, since the Speakership fell vacant by reason of the former Speaker, Cecil Clarke, becoming Minister of Justice and Attorney General, and at that sitting, Alfred MacLeod, member for Cape Breton West, was elected Speaker and Wayne Gaudet, member for Clare was elected Deputy Speaker.

Also at that sitting, the new member for Cole Harbour Eastern Passage, Becky Kent, elected in a by-election to fill a vacancy arising from the resignation of Kevin Deveaux was introduced to the House and took her seat.

After the election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, the House adjourned and reconvened on November 22, 2007 in order to hear the Lieutenant Governor prorogue the old session and start a new session by reading the Speech from the Throne.

By far the most controversial bill introduced at this sitting was a Bill that did not pass. This Bill, if passed would have taken away the right of nurses to strike and would have provided for the settlement of such strikes by binding arbitration. This Bill was strongly objected to by the nurses' union and by both opposition parties. Nevertheless, the Government introduced the Bill as its first piece of legislation and called it for second reading debate. However, after a few hours, the Government adjourned debate and did not call the bill for further debate.

Two Bills that raised a good deal of debate and publicity were both...