{"id":19489,"date":"2021-01-28T00:59:23","date_gmt":"2021-01-28T04:59:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelaker.ca\/?p=19489"},"modified":"2021-01-28T00:59:23","modified_gmt":"2021-01-28T04:59:23","slug":"the-laker-news-goes-one-on-one-with-premier-stephen-mcneil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/?p=19489","title":{"rendered":"One-on-One with Premier McNeil"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;93&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;105&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>ENFIELD:<\/strong> As his time as Premier of Nova Scotia is nearing its end, Stephen McNeil sat down for a one-on-one interview with The Laker News\u2019 Pat Healey via zoom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The interview was one that The Laker News had been trying to pin down for one or two years. They were finally able to make it happen on Jan. 22 via Zoom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>McNeill will step aside as the man at the helm of Nova Scotia on Feb. 6, when a new Liberal leader\u2014and Premier\u2014will be selected by Liberal delegates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the interview, Healey asked McNeil a range of questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;31&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate group=&#8221;7&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first was what it\u2019s been like to lead the province during the past year, a year fraught with tragedy from the deaths due to COVID19; the April 18\/19 mass shooting; the helicopter crash claiming three Nova Scotians; and the death of Halifax\u2019s Jenn Casey in a Snowbird crash, and the sinking of the Chief William Saulis with six fishermen on board before Christmas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis year has been one of many unprecedented times, not only the pandemic but all the other tragedies that hit our province, it\u2019s certainly been one of \u2026,\u201d said McNeil. \u201cIt\u2019s been isolating at times, to be perfectly frank, but I\u2019m grateful for Nova Scotians who have been kind to me in their comments, and their support over the last 10 months.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>McNeil was also asked about negotiations with unions, his highlights as Premier; what he learned the most; MLA Bill Horne and if the reason for not putting him in cabinet had anything to do with his support of the community against the Fall River Quarry; online comments and how they impacted his family; and advice he has for anyone thinking about getting into politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He spoke about the strife with the teacher\u2019s union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt wasn\u2019t tough at all,\u201d answered McNeil when asked how tough it was with family members in the teaching field. \u201cMy family has continued to believe that I would do what was right. We were taught by a pretty strong woman in our mother to do what we believed was right even if it was difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Laker News interviews Premier McNeil\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WvhtIhooUUU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;34&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotyate banner=&#8221;95&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>McNeil said as he thinks back through his time as Premier there are a lot of highlights. More recently, one of those is bringing in presumed consent for organ donation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cObviously, the support for the Home for Colored Children is one that has touched me deeply,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m proud of our fiscal record. &nbsp;It\u2019s really the things that we were able to do that touched people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn education, we have invested more then any government in my time here. The decisions we made that impacted kids and families, those things are pretty near and dear to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>McNeil said the past year would have to be the low point of his tenure in his position. He is still passionate about the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis last year has been hard on families, hard on Nova Scotians,\u201d he said. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t say it\u2019s a low point, but it\u2019s been a pretty emotional draining year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate group=&#8221;6&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;30&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When asked about chatter in the Fall River area that MLA Bill Horne was never given a cabinet position because he stood with the community against the Fall River Quarry, McNeil chalked it up to nothing but a rumour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI respected Bill a lot,\u201d he said. \u201cOne thing that never got coverage, and I gave Bill the authority to do it, to speak on behalf of his constituents even if it was against our governments position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis is a regulated situation where we as government don\u2019t get to go in and say, \u201cthis gets approved,\u201d there\u2019s a regulated environment around it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m proud of my relationship with Bill. I\u2019m grateful he ran for us, has been working for us. I\u2019m proud I\u2019m part of a government that allows its members to stand up for its constituents even if it\u2019s against their own government.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate group=&#8221;2&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>McNeil said he never held any ill will towards Horne as a result of his support for his community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI never held that against him,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m proud of what he did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He was asked about social media comments and how they impacted him and his family. He began answering the question by saying he stopped reading the news seven years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt doesn\u2019t bother me because I don\u2019t read them,\u201d he said. \u201cI do worry about the impact they have on my young adult children; they weren\u2019t when I started this. I\u2019m more worried about what it does to my kids then me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m also very hopeful we\u2019re at a moment in time where online comments are going to start getting checked by individual Nova Scotians and Canadians, and globally. We\u2019ve seen what\u2019s happening in the U.S. where people can say whatever they want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI will always rely on the good gracious of Nova Scotians to challenge each other when people are being over the top.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;110&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;92&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/MGL0019-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-19372\"\/><figcaption>Premier Stephen McNeil. (Communications N.S. Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>McNeil was asked for advice if someone was reading this or watching the video interview and was considering getting into politics. He said for them to just be true to who they are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t try to be somebody who you\u2019re not,\u201d said McNeil. \u201cIf you\u2019re running because you want to make your community better, then keep going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf you\u2019re running because you think it\u2019s a good gig or good job, don\u2019t do it. It really truly is service. You have to want to make a difference in the community you live in, and the province you\u2019re in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s what Nova Scotians need. That\u2019s what communities need to make their communities better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He said in his time as Premier the one thing he learned the most is Nova Scotians want leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter how difficult the decision is, they just want you to do it,\u201d said McNeil. \u201cThey will respect you for it, they will appreciate you for it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Premier McNeil talking about Pat\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4xsiwCraut8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>McNeil took the opportunity to tell residents N.S. will only be as strong as the people in each community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cStay committed, stay involved in your community,\u201d he said. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to run for office. You\u2019re your own way to make your community better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOur province is only going to be as strong as the level of participation of Nova Scotians.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He then made an unexpected comment, thanking Healey for caring. He said a question Healey asked during a COVID19 briefing about how he was doing is one he will never forget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cKeep doing what you\u2019re doing,\u201d said McNeil. \u201cKeep caring.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To hear the full 14-minute interview, please check out the inserted link in this story or click here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;95&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;96&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;93&#8243;] [adrotate banner=&#8221;105&#8243;] ENFIELD: As his time as Premier of Nova Scotia is nearing its end, Stephen McNeil sat down for a one-on-one interview with The Laker News\u2019 Pat Healey via zoom. The interview was one that The Laker News had been trying to pin down for one or two years. They were finally [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19499,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,957],"tags":[50,48,1308,560,517,974],"class_list":["post-19489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-video","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-news","tag-halifax","tag-n-s","tag-n-s-liberal-party","tag-pat-healey","tag-premier-stephen-mcneil","tag-the-laker-news","post_format-post-format-video"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19489"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19489\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}