Legislature's new health committee to begin meeting next week

Opposition members are calling for a collaborative approach whenthe Nova Scotia legislature's new standing committee on health meets for the first time next week.

Government House leader Geoff MacLellan met with his opposition counterparts Wednesday to finalize details of a committee that's been promised since September.

It will be the first time health has had a dedicated committee and comes four months after the governing Liberals took steps to limit topics at the public accounts committee.

MacLellan said the delays in getting the committee established weren't intentional, but rather related to the time it took all three parties to submit their members for the group and House leaders to meet. He expected the first meeting would be to finalize structure and discuss the schedule.

The committee will meet monthly in the chamber at Province House, meaning it will be televised. The makeup will be like other standing committees, favouring the government in terms of members, and chairedby Liberal MLA Gordon Wilson.

Tory House leader Chris d'Entremont said while he's pleased the meetings will be televised, he's disappointed the committee is only meeting monthly and that there's not a more even balance of power.

He also has concerns about Wilson serving as chair.

"Gordon is the architect of what has happened latelyover at public accounts, so I'm not fully supportive of that. But I guess it is the prerogative of the government to appoint him as that chair."

Calls for collaboration

The public accounts committee had become a major thorn in the side ofthe government, with health care being a regulartopic and meetings oftenresulting in difficult stories. But the last time the subject was raised at the committee was in April. Then in September, the Liberals used their majority to change the structure of the committee so it would only deal with matters related to reports by the auditor general.

NDP House leader Claudia Chender said she left Wednesday's meeting "pleasantly surprised" the health committee's business would be televised.

Chender said her primary concern is the committee is able to agree on an agenda and witnesses suggested by all three parties, and that the committee doesn't take a similarly rigid approach likewhat's happened with public accounts.

"I think health care is a crisis that's facing Nova Scotians. It's hugely important that we're able to work all of the members in the chamber of all three parties can bring what we have to help solve it."

Another new committee

MacLellan said it would be up to committee members to determine if meetings should be held more frequently than monthly. It's his expectation all parties will be productive, he said.

"The worst thing we can do, the biggest disservice we can provide to Nova Scotians, is to make this partisan or to begin to try to manoeuvre or manufacture things inside of that committee," he said.

"I think that this is one that's important to show Nova Scotians that we work together."

Another committee change about to come into effect is the merger of the natural resources and economic development committees. MacLellan said the first meeting for the new committee has yet to be scheduled, and it will be up to committee members to set those dates.