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The Premier of Nova Scotia, Mr. Stephen McNeil, will resign as premier of the province and leave public office. Mr. McNeill has announced this unexpected news at a press conference in Halifax on Thursday (August 6) afternoon.
Mr. McNeill was first elected as the MLA for Annapolis in 2003. He was elected as the premier in October 2013 and was re-elected in 2017. He is also leading the Nova Scotia Liberals to two majority governments.
He said in his 7-minute speech, “17 years is a long time and it’s long enough. I love this job. I have enjoyed every day of it and every day I am inspired by the people of this province, but this is not a lifelong career.”
Mr. McNeill said that he had decided to resign before the coronavirus pandemic, but he reconsidered when the virus reached Nova Scotia in the month of March. All these plans were shelved and he went all out. He stayed here for almost 5 weeks without return to his property or home. He was away from his family because he was working in the public health department and tried with his team to control the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.
However, he will continue to serve as premier of the province and leader of the Liberal Party until the party chooses to take over. He expects the leadership campaign to continue for several months. Nova Scotia does not have a fixed election date but it is scheduled for year 2022.
In addition to above, he celebrated his 17th anniversary in elected office on Wednesday (August 5). After officially resigns, he will be eligible for an annual pension of $1,20,000.
In his speech on Thursday, Mr. McNeill also emphasized that the government is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on hospital projects.
Even before the pandemic, health care was a critical issue in Nova Scotia. Opposition parties were constantly criticizing Mr. McNeil for handling the shortage of doctors and reviewing plans to rebuild the province’s largest hospital system.
His announcement of resignation came as a surprise to many Nova Scotia nationals. Many political icons and leaders from both of the province’s opposition parties offered well wishes to him in statements after his announcement.
Mr. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, has showed his gratitude towards Mr. McNeill and said on Tweeter, “Premier Stephen McNeil has been a great partner of the federation. Stephen, your strong advocacy for Nova Scotia nationals and all Canadians will be missed at the First Ministers’ table. Thank you for your many years of service, and all the best in the future.”
Mr. Gary Burrill, Nova Scotia NDP Leader, has tweeted, “On this historic day of the announcement of Stephen McNeil’s resignation, I wish to acknowledge the 17 years he has contributed to the province of Nova Scotia. I recognize Stephen as a person of singular ability and drive, and wish him all the very best as he moves now towards his biography’s next chapter.”
