HALIFAX — As speculation mounts about a pending provincial election in Nova Scotia, a member of the Opposition Liberals crossed the floor Tuesday to join the governing Progressive Conservatives.
Premier Tim Houston announced at the provincial legislature that Fred Tilley has joined his party’s caucus. The representative for the Cape Breton riding of Northside-Westmount was first elected to the legislature in 2021.
“Fred has a background and experience that … will certainly serve our government well,” Houston said. “We are always looking for talented people and I have been so impressed by Fred and his commitment to this province.”
While on the Liberal benches, Tilley, who was also chair of the party's caucus, had been critical of the government in areas such as health care and economic development, but he told reporters that his job as critic had become harder over time.
“It has become increasingly difficult for me to be critical of the decisions of this government when I approve of a lot of their actions,” Tilley said, highlighting government moves like funding for sensor-based glucose monitoring supplies for diabetes patients, the province’s school lunch program and the indexing of tax brackets in last spring’s budget.
“I want to be here delivering for Nova Scotia, not across the aisle criticizing for the sake of criticizing,” he said.
Tilley said he decided to make the switch after talking with the premier over the last couple of weeks, adding that the move is about being able to do more for his constituents rather than a slight against Liberal Leader Zach Churchill.
However, Churchill sees things differently, later telling reporters that he only found out about Tilley’s departure hours before the formal announcement was made.
“I feel betrayed, anybody who’s dealt with a betrayal from someone that you trust knows what this feels like,” he said. “To have this happen on what sounds like the eve of an election campaign is certainly a big blow.”
Tilley is the second member of the Liberal caucus to join the government this year. In February, Brendan Maguire joined the Tories and was immediately named as community services minister.
Houston was asked whether the announcement of Tilley’s switch was the prelude to an eventual snap election call sometime later this week. The premier didn’t reply directly but mused about the current political landscape.
“It is probably obvious to everyone that there is incredible turmoil in Ottawa right now and what happens in Ottawa can have a significant and immediate impact on Nova Scotia,” he said. “I’m watching … and I need to make sure that Nova Scotia is in a strong position to bargain with the federal government and be treated fairly.”
NDP Leader Claudia Chender said the announcement of Tilley’s decision smelled of political gamesmanship, and she dismissed the idea that Houston needs a strong mandate to deal with Ottawa.
“The premier calling an election is about the premier consolidating his own power,” Chender said. “The premier has a majority government and he can negotiate as much as he wants with Ottawa."
Under Nova Scotia’s election law the province has a fixed election date of July 15, 2025; however, Houston has said that he doesn’t feel the need to adhere to the date.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.
Keith Doucette, The Canadian Press
