Deal keeps MacDonald government around, for now
Last Updated: Friday, May 1, 2009 | 1:50 PM ET
CBC News
Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald has managed to work a deal with the opposition to keep his party in power at least until Monday.
The NDP and Liberals agreed Friday to a procedural motion that allows the government to table a budget that is only technically balanced, though the Tories want to spend an extra $200 million that is legally required to go on the province's debt.
The minority Progressive Conservative government had argued it needed to amend the Finance Act to allow this spending before bringing down a spring budget.
MacDonald said voters don't need to worry that he'll call a snap election this weekend.
"The budget will be presented Monday," he told reporters in Halifax. "There is no election call this weekend, as is speculated."
Both opposition parties had threatened to vote against the Tory pre-budget bill, introduced on Thursday. They argued the government was changing the Finance Act simply so it could simply legalize running a deficit.
Since the minority Tory government considered the bill a confidence matter, the lack of support by the opposition would have triggered the government's collapse, prompting an election.
The Tories still need the support of opposition MLAs to pass their budget and stay in power. If not, Nova Scotians will be heading to the polls.
The last provincial election was in June 2006.
