The following has been submitted to The Laker News by Devin Drover, the Atlantic Director and General Counsel of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
Nova Scotia’s taxpayers are struggling with rising costs and a government that can’t balance its books. Now, Premier Tim Houston adds insult to injury by bloating his cabinet to an unprecedented size.
Houston appointed 21 cabinet ministers at this past week’s swearing-in ceremony, more than any other Atlantic province. This also marks a three-minister increase from his former cabinet, pushing Nova Scotia’s cabinet costs to new heights.
In comparison, New Brunswick has 18 cabinet ministers, Newfoundland and Labrador has 17 and Prince Edward Island operates with just 12.
And in the prairies, Saskatchewan and Manitoba – both provinces with larger populations – have 16 and 15 cabinet ministers, respectively.
These comparisons highlight that Nova Scotia’s cabinet expansion is not driven by necessity, but by political choice.
The size of government shouldn’t grow just because Houston now has a larger caucus and more members wanting a salary bump. Taxpayers deserve better stewardship of their hard-earned money. Expanding the cabinet wasn’t a necessity, but a choice that prioritizes rewarding political allies over fiscal responsibility.
Nova Scotia cabinet ministers earn $138,280 annually, which is a $49,046 bonus on top of the base salary for MLAs. Plus, Houston recently signaled he is open to increasing MLA salaries and expense accounts, meaning this number could easily increase in the future.
By adding three new ministers, Houston saddled taxpayers with more than $500,000 in new spending over the next four years on salaries alone, which will only increase when factoring in additional ministerial staff. While this may be only a small piece of the total provincial budget, it reflects a political culture where fiscal responsibility isn’t a priority.
Just look at the province’s finances. Since taking office in 2021, the Houston government has gone on a tax-funded spending spree, pushing annual expenditures to record highs. Nova Scotia is now grappling with a $654 million budget deficit, with no clear plan to restore balance anytime soon.
Houston has justified this surge in spending by pointing to the need for improvements in the province’s struggling health care system.
But here’s the reality: two out of every three new dollars now being spent is not going toward health care.
In response, provincial Auditor General Kim Adair has sounded the alarm, urging the government to rein in its spending and make better use of taxpayers’ hard-earned money. Her recent report revealed that hundreds of millions of dollars have been approved for government programs with no cost estimates or design plans in place.
If the government simply rolled back non-health-care spending to pre-Houston levels, taxpayers would save $811 million. This would be enough to both balance the budget and provide tax relief.
Unless a different path is charted, government debt will hit $24.7 billion by 2027. This level of debt will leave taxpayers shouldering an unsustainable burden.
When debt grows, so do interest payments. This year, Nova Scotia taxpayers will fork out $1.1 billion just to pay interest on the province’s debt. That’s nearly $1,000 per person wasted on interest charges.
If Houston truly wants to serve Nova Scotians, he should reduce the size of his cabinet and make fiscal restraint a priority. Every dollar wasted on unnecessary cabinet salaries and perks is a dollar that won’t reduce the deficit or cut taxes.
But instead of tightening the belt and charting a course toward fiscal responsibility, Houston chose political convenience. Cabinet positions shouldn’t serve as rewards for political loyalty. They should reflect the leanest and most efficient structure to deliver results. Houston’s decision to grow his cabinet undermines that principle and shows political insiders come first, while taxpayers come last.
Taxpayers expect their government to do more with less. Nova Scotians deserve leadership that puts their interests first. Houston needs to rethink his priorities and deliver a government that works for the people – not for the politicians.
Devin Drover is the Atlantic Director and General Counsel of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
