{"id":62518,"date":"2026-02-19T22:44:53","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T02:44:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelaker.ca\/?p=62518"},"modified":"2026-02-19T22:44:53","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T02:44:53","slug":"n-s-liberals-outline-economic-priorities-introduce-independent-budget-watchdog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/?p=62518","title":{"rendered":"N.S. Liberals outline economic priorities, introduce independent Budget Watchdog"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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HALIFAX:<\/strong> As Nova Scotians brace for what is expected to be another historic deficit from the Houston
government, Nova Scotia Liberals are outlining their priorities for the upcoming spring sitting of
the legislature, starting with legislation to create an independent Budget Watchdog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With this session centered on the provincial budget, Liberals say greater transparency and accountability are urgently needed after years of reckless spending, untendered contracts, and mounting deficits that are putting programs Nova Scotians rely on at risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first bill tabled by the Liberal caucus will establish an independent, non-partisan Budget Watchdog \u2013 similar to the Parliamentary Budget Officer in Ottawa and Ontario\u2019s Financial Accountability Office \u2013 to provide objective analysis of the government\u2019s fiscal projections, the true cost of new spending, and the financial impact of legislation introduced in the House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNova Scotians deserve to know the real numbers,\u201d said Interim Leader Iain Rankin. \u201cWhen
deficits and costs keep climbing, families are left wondering who is looking out for their tax
dollars. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“An independent Budget Watchdog would bring transparency, accountability, and facts back into the budgeting process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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After years of growing deficits and financial uncertainty, it is critical to put safeguards in place to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and transparently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to establishing an independent Budget Watchdog, the Liberal caucus will focus on key priorities to strengthen Nova Scotia\u2019s economy, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf Addressing pocketbook pressures by reining in Nova Scotia Power through an independent review and a stable, affordable multi-year rate plan that gives families and businesses predictability. Liberals will also stand up for the $10-a-day childcare so more parents can access the affordable childcare they were promised and return to the workforce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf Investing in infrastructure that supports growth, including tackling traffic congestion, ensuring major healthcare infrastructure projects are delivered on time and on budget, and closing export gaps in regions like Cape Breton so communities across Nova Scotia can fully participate in economic growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf Strengthening government to strengthen the economy by reducing over budget spending, ending untendered contracts and partisan appointments, and delivering a credible economic plan that restores accountability, builds investor confidence, and ensures taxpayer dollars are focused on long-term growth.
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\u201cThis session needs to be about accountability and results,\u201d said House Leader Derek Mombourquette.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNova Scotians expect responsible budgeting, stronger public services, and an economy that works in every region of our province. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We\u2019re putting forward practical solutions that restore transparency, protect the services families rely on, and ensure government is focused on the right priorities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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HALIFAX: As Nova Scotians brace for what is expected to be another historic deficit from the Houstongovernment, Nova Scotia Liberals are outlining their priorities for the upcoming spring sitting ofthe legislature, starting with legislation to create an independent Budget Watchdog. With this session centered on the provincial budget, Liberals say greater transparency and accountability are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":58062,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[957],"tags":[10386,10387,1866,1867,1077,2517,4353],"class_list":["post-62518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-budget-watchdog","tag-economic-priorities","tag-iain-rankin","tag-n-s-liberals","tag-nova-scotia","tag-premier-tim-houston","tag-province-house"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62518","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=62518"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62518\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/58062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=62518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=62518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=62518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}