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Darrell Dexter

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The Honourable
Darrell Dexter

MLA
27th Premier of Nova Scotia
Assumed office
June 19, 2009
Lieutenant GovernorMayann Francis
Preceded byRodney MacDonald
Leader of the Opposition of Nova Scotia
In office
June 2001 – June 19, 2009
PremierJohn Hamm
Rodney MacDonald
Preceded byRobert Chisholm
Succeeded byStephen McNeil
Member of the Legislative Assembly for
Cole Harbour
Assumed office
August 5, 2003
Preceded byConstituency established
Member of the Legislative Assembly for
Dartmouth-Cole Harbour
In office
March 24, 1998 – August 5, 2003
Preceded byAlan Mitchell
Succeeded byConstituency abolished
Personal details
Born (1957-09-10) September 10, 1957 (age 66)
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Political partyNew Democratic Party
SpouseKelly Wilson
Alma materDalhousie University
University of King's College
ProfessionLawyer
Naval officer
Journalist
Military service
Branch/serviceCanadian Forces
RankSub-Lieutenant

Darrell Dexter (born September 10, 1957[1]) is a Canadian lawyer, journalist and former Naval Officer who is serving as the 27th and current Premier of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. He is the first New Democratic Party (NDP) Premier east of Ontario, having led the Nova Scotia NDP since 2001. He was elected Premier in 2009 after defeating Progressive Conservative Premier Rodney MacDonald in a landslide.

Record as Premier

Dexter's government was elected on a centrist and mildly pro-business platform, promising to deliver balanced budgets for Nova Scotia which has been characterized as more Red Tory than social democratic, though the party pledged more money for healthcare, daycare and public sector workers while removing the provincial portion of the HST off home heating oil.[2]

The Dexter government struggled for the first year of its mandate to control spending on public programs while increasing revenue. It paid off when Dexter's minister of finance Graham Steele posted the provincial budget on April 4, 2011 showing a $447 million surplus - one of the largest in Nova Scotia's history and only the 7th surplus since 1950. Major factors in recording this surplus were a one-time adjustment from the federal government of almost $200 million as well as an increase to the HST by two percentage points.[3] However, Dexter's government also made several unpopular decisions, including removing the freeze on tuition fee hikes for Nova Scotia universities[4] as well as budget cuts and freezes in public education and health care spending.[3]

Dexter was Premier when Auditor General Jacques LaPointe revealed suspicious expense claims by MLAs in 2010. Dexter himself was revealed to have billed taxpayers for his barrister fees, which he subsequently repaid.[3] Three former and one incumbent Member of the Legislative Assembly, Liberals Dave Wilson, Russell MacKinnon, Progressive Conservative Richard Hurlburt, and former NDP turned Independent MLA Trevor Zinck were criminally charged for their involvement.[4]

Early life and electoral history

Darrell Dexter was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia.[5] and grew up in the rural community of Milton, Queens County. He is the son of a sheet metal worker and was the first member of his family to go to university.

Dexter holds degrees in education and law from Dalhousie University,[6] and a degree in journalism from the University of King's College.[7] He used his journalism degree for a period as a reporter for The Daily News in the early 1980s.[5] Dexter also served in the Canadian Forces holding the rank of Sub-Lieutenant and was a Combat Information Officer onboard HMCS Yukon and HMCS Qu'Appelle while deployed with Maritime Forces Pacific.[5]

Dexter was a practicing lawyer before he entered public life.[5] He was first elected as a Dartmouth City Councilor, serving from 1994 to 1996.[8] He was later elected to the Nova Scotia Legislature as MLA for Dartmouth-Cole Harbour in 1998 and served as critic for Economic Development and Health. He was re-elected in 1999,[9] 2003,[10] 2006[11] and 2009.[12]

Dexter became the 8th leader of the Nova Scotia NDP in June 2001.[13] On June 9, 2009, Dexter was elected the first NDP Premier of Nova Scotia, and the first in Atlantic Canada.[12]

A former Chair and member Board of the Dartmouth Downtown Development Corporation,[14] Dexter also sat as Chair of the Dartmouth Waterfront Development Task Force[citation needed]. He was once a member of the Dartmouth General Hospital Commission and Chair of the Dartmouth Common Committee.[15]

Dexter is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Victorian Order of Nurses (Dartmouth Branch), on the Audit Committee for the Heritage Credit Union, and a member of the Community Planning Association.[16]

Dexter is an avid basketball fan and still plays regularly.[17] He is married to Kelly Wilson and together they have one son, Harris.

Dexter's first provincial campaign in 2003 saw the NDP campaign trailing in third place in many polls and in danger of losing seats. The NDP looked to consolidate its strong support in the Metro Halifax area, and make gains in the conservative rural mainland and their former stronghold of Cape Breton, which had been ceded to the Nova Scotia Liberal Party.

Dexter campaigned to form Crown Corporation for car insurance to lower premiums by 50%, paying for health coverage in nursing homes, reducing waiting lists for surgeries and diagnostic tests, removing the provincial portion of the HST on home heating pol and children's prescription drugs, increase classroom resources for public schools, freezing tuition fees for Nova Scotia universities for a year while introducing a student debt relief plan and maintaining the balanced budget legacy of the Hamm government. However, he supported the governing PC's tax cuts which were criticized by the Liberals.

On election night, Dexter and the NDP did make small gains in the popular vote and won four more seats, including two in Dexter's hometown of Dartmouth, one in Cape Breton and one in Pictou County, and the Hamm government was reduced to a minority administration.

Nova Scotia general election, 2006

Main article: Nova Scotia general election, 2006

The MacDonald Government called an election for June 13, 2006, and Dexter was once again the NDP's candidate for Premier. At the outset, most pollsters had the NDP at the same level of support it had in 2003, roughly 30% and behind the Tories in second place. Dexter campaigned on a platform to improve services for seniors, lowering the cost of heating oil for homes, a 10% cut in post-secondary education tuition, subsidized child care and public auto insurance.

Dexter performance in the leaders' debate was improved in the eyes of many pundits. The NDP did not win government, but did make major gains on election day. The party gained five seats for a total of 20, the party's best performance in its history. Dexter also was easily re-elected in his own seat of Cole Harbour with 59.5%. The NDP gained roughly 4% of the popular vote to 34.5%. The NDP also won seats in the South Shore region of Nova Scotia, an area where it had not performed well previously, specifically Shelburne and Queens.

After the 2006 election

Dexter said he would continue to co-operate with the Progressive Conservative government. He rejected overtures from Liberal Leader Francis MacKenzie to form a coalition government.

Within a few months of the election, the NDP took a lead in the opinion polls, and has held it consistently since.

Nova Scotia general election, 2009

Main article: Nova Scotia general election, 2009
Dexter at an NDP meeting in Halifax, 2009.
Dexter at an NDP meeting in Halifax, 2009.

On June 9, 2009, Dexter was elected the first NDP premier of Nova Scotia, in a race against Conservative Rodney MacDonald and Liberal Stephen McNeil. Dexter was elected with a majority of the seats in the Nova Scotia legislature.[18]

He was officially sworn in as Premier of Nova Scotia on June 19, 2009.[19]

Legislation

The first year in office, Dexter and his NDP government sat in the legislature for more days then the previous government's last 4 sessions combined; the Conservatives sat 15 days in the Fall of 2007, 21 days in the Spring of 2008, 16 days in the Fall of 2008 and 3 days in the Spring of 2009 when an election was called.[20] Dexter's NDP government sat for 35 days in the Fall of 2009[21] and 32 days in the Spring of 2010.[22]

Legislative highlights in the first year included the province beginning to help cover the travel cost for out-of-province medical care,[23] increasing funding to women's shelters for the first time in a decade,[24] creating a Graduate Retention Rebate for graduates who stay in Nova Scotia,[25] banning uranium mining[26] and the use of cosmetic pesticides,[27] banning political donations by unions and businesses,[28] and launching a new renewable energy strategy with a target of 40% renewable energy by 2020.[29]

Awards

In December 2009, at an international summit in Copenhagen, Dexter was awarded a Climate Leadership in Canada award for putting a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Cap on electricity in Nova Scotia.[30]

Controversy

After coming to power, Dexter and his NDP government were shaken by multiple scandals involving expense claims and campaign contributions. On November 10, 2009, it was discovered that members of Dexter's new government had rung up excessive meal and drink bills at the taxpayers' expense.[31]

On February 3, 2010, Nova Scotia auditor general Jacques Lapointe released a report stating that many Nova Scotia politicians had filed expense claims that were "excessive or inappropriate" because of inadequate spending controls that invite errors and misuse.[32] Lapointe's report found that politicians had used taxpayers' money to buy items including plasma televisions, custom-made furniture, cameras, model boats, and espresso makers.[33] Lapointe’s report questioned the appropriateness of the spending habits of all three main political parties. Dexter himself expensed $7,650 for a pair of laptops and a digital camera, while taxpayers picked up his annual $3,500 bar fees.[34] Dexter later rejected a call for a public inquiry into the MLA spending scandal, saying that due to the Auditor General's report, excessive and inappropriate spending by MLAs would be curtailed.[35] Dexter promised reforms to the expense system, and the first bill he introduced in the spring of 2010 was An Act to Establish a Management Commission for the Effective Administration of the House of Assembly,[36] saying "I promised Nova Scotians that their demands for an open and transparent system for MLA expenses would be met." [37]

Auditor general Jacques Lapointe also revealed that Dexter used more of his constituency allowance for extra staff payments than any other New Democrat, according to figures released on February 18, 2010. Lapointe flagged the payments issue in his February 3, 2010, report because there was no evidence remittances for the Canada Pension Plan, employment insurance and income tax were made to the Canada Revenue Agency.[38]

On February 25, 2010, Elections Nova Scotia fined the governing NDP $10,000, the maximum fine under the governing act,[39] for accepting an illegal campaign donation from a trade union, referring the case to police. The agency said the NDP took more than $5,000 from a single donor and failed to return $45,000 from eight unions and one union affiliate, though it "knew or should have known" the money was all from the Mainland Building and Construction Trades Council. After the release of the report, Dexter stated that he had believed the money had been returned. Party secretary Ed Wark resigned, citing a "serious error in judgment".[40]

References

  1. ^ [1], Canadaeast.com, April 12, 2010
  2. ^ National Post Editorial Board: Darrell Dexter's Victory, National Post, June 11, 2009
  3. ^ a b c N.S. budget makes HST highest in Canada, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, April 6, 2010 Cite error: The named reference "CBC" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Nova Scotia lifts tuition freeze, MacLean's, February 1, 2011 Cite error: The named reference "MacLean's" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b c d Who is Premier Darrell Dexter?, The Coast, June 4, 2009
  6. ^ Dal produces 13th premier, "The Sunday Herald", October 25, 2009
  7. ^ Dexter to get King’s alumnus award, Metro, May 7, 2010
  8. ^ Nova Scotia Votes, The Daily News, October 16, 1994
  9. ^ Dartmouth looks familiar: Most seats unchanged, The Daily News, July 28, 1999
  10. ^ Cole Harbour, "The Chronicle Herald", August 6, 2003
  11. ^ NDP Leader Dexter elected in Cole Harbour , "CBC News", June 13, 2006
  12. ^ a b Ceremony set for swearing in Nova Scotia's 1st NDP premier. "CBC News", June 12, 2009.
  13. ^ Leader Dexter elected in Cole Harbour, "CBC News", June 13, 2006
  14. ^ It's your last dance, board tells strip bars, The Daily News, November 30, 1993
  15. ^ Dartmouth bus terminal move crosses hurdle, The Daily News, March 30, 1995
  16. ^ Ex-alderman seeks nomination, The Daily News, August 16, 1997
  17. ^ Premier taking ‘legendary’ skills to the hardcourt, Metro, April 28, 2010
  18. ^ "N.S. voters elect 1st NDP government". CBC.ca. June 9, 2009. Retrieved June 21, 2009. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  19. ^ "Atlantic Canada's 1st NDP government takes office in Nova Scotia". CBC.ca. June 19, 2009. Retrieved June 21, 2009. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  20. ^ http://www.gov.ns.ca/legislature/house_business/status60_2.html
  21. ^ http://www.gov.ns.ca/legislature/house_business/status61_1.html
  22. ^ http://www.gov.ns.ca/legislature/house_business/status.html#status
  23. ^ "C-Health". Chealth.canoe.ca. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
  24. ^ [2][dead link]
  25. ^ CA. "Rebate will keep graduates in N.S., says Zann - Community - Living - Truro Daily News". Trurodaily.com. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
  26. ^ "timestranscript.com - N.S. uranium ban to be law - Breaking News, New Brunswick, Canada". Timestranscript.canadaeast.com. 2009-10-15. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
  27. ^ "Non-Essential Pesticides Ban for Nova Scotia | News Releases | Government of Nova Scotia". Gov.ns.ca. 2010-05-04. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
  28. ^ CA. "NDP ends union, company donations to N.S. parties; cuts off Liberal trust cash - Politics - News - The Amherst Daily News". Amherstdaily.com. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
  29. ^ "This page is available to GlobePlus subscribers". Theglobeandmail.com. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
  30. ^ "media centre | Environmental Defence". Environmentaldefence.ca. 2011-03-25. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
  31. ^ [3][dead link]
  32. ^ Nova Scotia auditor general finds inappropriate spending by politicians , Yahoo! News, February 3, 2010
  33. ^ MLA expenses audit provokes mea culpas, CBC News, February 3, 2010
  34. ^ Secrets and lies, down east, The National Post, February 19, 2010
  35. ^ No need for expenses inquiry: premier, CBC.ca, February 11, 2010
  36. ^ http://www.gov.ns.ca/legislature/HOUSE_BUSINESS/status.html#1
  37. ^ "New Commission Will Oversee House Spending | News Releases | Government of Nova Scotia". Gov.ns.ca. 2010-03-26. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
  38. ^ Dexter’s MLA staff got biggest pay boosts, Chronicle-Herald, February 19, 2010
  39. ^ CA (2010-03-01). "NDP fined $10,000 for inappropriate contributions - Politics - News". The Cape Breton Post. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
  40. ^ N.S. NDP fined over union donation, CBC.ca, February 25, 2010

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