Nova Scotia premier unsure about public release of cabinet mandate letters

CITYnews halifax / By The Canadian Pres

HALIFAX — Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says he’s unsure whether he will publicly release mandate letters for cabinet ministers.

Houston says discussions are ongoing about his government’s goals for its second term, following his party’s decisive win in the Nov. 26 provincial election.

He told reporters after a cabinet meeting on Thursday that he doesn’t know yet if those goals will be written down in traditional mandate letters and published online.

After Houston’s Tories won their first mandate in 2021, he followed convention and published letters outlining his policy expectations for each cabinet minister.

Now the premier says it can be “counterproductive” to release public policy before it’s fully developed because such a move would leave it open to being “picked apart.”

Opposition NDP Leader Claudia Chender says she’s observed an increasing tendency from the government to “keep Nova Scotians in the dark,” through moves like withholding public reports and moving away from ministerial mandate letters.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 17, 2025.

The Canadian Press