PCs pushing legislation too quick, says Chender

The NDP says the government is abusing a political strategy in the legislature.

Opposition leader Claudia Chender says they are using omnibus bills to get in and out of province house as fast they can.

An omnibus bill covers several different topics, which can sometimes be unrelated.

Chender said that was the case with The Protecting Nova Scotians Act.

The changes in the bill were so different that it put the NDP in an impossible situation, she said, and they walked out of the legislature instead of voting on the bill on Thursday night.

“We can’t vote against the good proposals, most of which came from us, and we can’t vote for the poison pills that were put in this legislation,” Chender told reporters Friday morning.

Several things in the bill were good, she said, like banning private companies from collecting SIN numbers, increasing the requirements for bouncers in bars to protect patrons, and increasing rental protections for victims of intimate partner violence.

But on the other hand, it removes some protections for boarders renting rooms, and attacks peaceful protesters on crown lands, said Chender.

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