Nova Scotia’s auditor general Kim Adair says she has “respectfully requested” that proposed changes to the province’s Auditor General Act, which would allow for the auditor to be fired without just cause, be withdrawn.
Adair said the proposed changes would impact the office’s integrity and independence, and would make Nova Scotia an “outlier” since most other provinces require cause to dismiss an auditor general.
“There’s been no consultation with our office on these changes. We didn’t know they were coming and we had no input,” Adair told reporters in a Thursday morning news conference.
The PC government tabled a bill Tuesday that would allow for the dismissal of the auditor — “regardless of cause or incapacity” — as long as two-thirds of the legislature agreed.
Currently, just cause has to be shown for an auditor general to be fired through a two-thirds vote. The Progressive Conservatives hold more than three-quarters of the legislature’s 55 seats.
Premier Tim Houston’s government has also moved to establish a two-week minimum timeline for the auditor to submit a report to the government before releasing it to the public. In addition, the bill would give the government the power to withhold auditor general reports for reasons of public interest, public safety or legal privilege.
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“What’s being proposed here in Nova Scotia is a substantial change to the way our office operates. We have serious concerns that the changes tabled in this bill will erode the independence of this office going forward,” Adair said.
“These changes could mean any report the government doesn’t like wouldn’t be made public.”
Adair says she met with “senior government officials” Wednesday to discuss the proposed bill and request it be withdrawn, although she declined to specify who the officials were.
“And I’ve asked for the ability to consult to determine if we can mutually address government’s concerns,” she said.
During question period on Wednesday, Opposition leader Claudia Chender asked Houston what his government “stand to gain” from this decision.
“The auditor general is an independent officer who provides invaluable reports on issues impacting Nova Scotians and oversight of this government,” said Chender, leader of the Nova Scotia NDP.
“But now this government is changing the rules for dismissing her instead of valuing the work of the independent watchdog of government spending and the independent body who evaluates how policies are working.”
In response, Houston said he had “great respect” for the auditor general’s office and the work it does.
“It’s really important to taxpayers. [I] have great respect for that office and look forward to continuing to work with them,” he said.
Adair has been critical of the Nova Scotia government’s spending practices. Last Tuesday, she released a new report reiterating calls for more accountability in government spending that isn’t approved by the legislature.
Her report said expenses outside the official budget process rose to $7 billion over the last decade, with the government spending $1.38 billion in the 2023-24 fiscal year that wasn’t first authorized by a majority vote in the legislature.
Other reports, which she highlighted during her Thursday news conference, included those into MLA expenses, an audit of ground ambulance services, violence in Nova Scotia’s public schools and protection of children in the care of the province.
–with files from The Canadian Press
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