HALIFAX – A move by Nova Scotia’s government to give itself the power to fire the auditor general without cause is being described by a democracy watchdog as a threat to her office’s independence.
Duff Conacher, co-founder of Democracy Watch, says an omnibus bill introduced Tuesday that would allow the dismissal of the auditor general without cause if two-thirds of the legislature voted in favour creates a political threat to her job.
Premier Tim Houston’s government has also moved to amend the Auditor General Act 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 to withhold reports for reasons of public interest, public safety or legal privilege.
Kim Adair, the current auditor general, said in a written statement that she was not consulted on the changes, and added she is meeting with government officials today to understand “the impact to the independence” of her office and its operations.
Adair’s reports have been repeatedly critical of the Progressive Conservative government’s spending of billions of dollars outside the budget process and have pointed out that Nova Scotia is the only province that doesn’t require extra spending to be vetted by the legislature.
The legislation currently governing the auditor general provides for 10-year terms and says the auditor can only be removed by a vote of two-thirds of the members of the legislature “for cause or incapacity.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 19, 2025.
