Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09HALIFAX28
2009-05-05 14:43:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Consulate Halifax
Cable title:  

FALL OF NOVA SCOTIA GOVERNMENT LEADS TO JUNE 9 PROVINCIAL

Tags:  PGOV CA 
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VZCZCXRO6531
PP RUEHGA RUEHMT RUEHQU RUEHVC
DE RUEHHA #0028 1251443
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 051443Z MAY 09
FM AMCONSUL HALIFAX
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1392
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PRIORITY 0609
INFO RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEHHA/AMCONSUL HALIFAX 1483
UNCLAS HALIFAX 000028 

SIPDIS

FOR WHA/CAN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV CA
SUBJECT: FALL OF NOVA SCOTIA GOVERNMENT LEADS TO JUNE 9 PROVINCIAL
ELECTION

UNCLAS HALIFAX 000028

SIPDIS

FOR WHA/CAN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV CA
SUBJECT: FALL OF NOVA SCOTIA GOVERNMENT LEADS TO JUNE 9 PROVINCIAL
ELECTION


1. SUMMARY: The Tory government of Premier Rodney MacDonald of
Nova Scotia collapsed on May 4, setting the stage for a
provincial election on June 9. We expect the focus of campaign
to be on local issues, primarily the economy. Regardless which
party emerges victorious on June 9--most likely as yet another
minority government--post does not anticipate any significant
changes in areas of U.S. interest such as trade, energy
development and border security. END SUMMARY.


2. Nova Scotians will be going to the polls in a provincial
election on June 9 after Tory Premier Rodney MacDonald's
minority government collapsed on May 4, when opposition parties
voted down a crucial bill in the Legislative Assembly.
MacDonald's finance minister had just tabled a budget which the
government declared was a "balanced" document. In reality it
would only have been balanced if the government could have taken
money from the province's offshore revenues, which by law must
be applied to the provincial debt. On April 30, the MacDonald
government tabled legislation to amend the law and it came to a
vote on May 4. As they had warned, the opposition members of
the House refused to support the bill, prompting the fall of the
government and setting the stage for the election.


3. The fall of the MacDonald government came as no surprise.
The Premier and his Tory party have been clinging to power since
the June 2006 election when they failed to capture a clear
majority. It has only survived thus far with the support of
either the Official Opposition New Democratic Party or the
third-place Liberals. The standings in the 52-seat House show
the precarious state of the government leading up to its
collapse: the Tories had 21 seats, the New Democrats had 20 and
the third-place Liberals had nine. There was one independent
and one seat was vacant.


4. COMMENT: The ensuing campaign is expected to be a
hard-fought affair, focused primarily on the state of the
economy and which of the three parties the electorate deems most
capable to guide the province through tough economic times. All
three parties have big hopes going into this campaign. As was
the case in 2006, Premier MacDonald will be looking for a clear
majority; NDP leader Darrell Dexter will be hoping to make
history by forming the first-ever NDP government east of
Ontario; and Stephen McNeil, leader of the third-place Liberals,
will be anxious to prove himself a credible leader by
orchestrating the addition of new seats for his party. Local
contacts expect that the end result will be yet another minority
government, which has been the norm since 2003.


5. U.S. INTERESTS: Each of the major parties attaches great
importance to issues of interest to the United States:
fostering bilateral trade, increasing energy exports to the
United States, and working cooperatively with the federal
government on secure border issues. Consequently, we do not
anticipate any significant changes in those areas of interest
regardless which party emerges the victor on June 9.


6. Post will report any significant developments of U.S.
interest that emerge as this campaign unfolds. END COMMENT.

FOSTER