N.S. auditor general says proposed changes would erode watchdogs independence – Halifax [Video]

Nova Scotia’s auditor general Kim Adair says she has “respectfully requested” that proposed changes to the province’s Auditor General Act, which would allow for the auditor to be fired without just cause, be withdrawn.

Adair said the proposed changes would impact the office’s integrity and independence, and would make Nova Scotia an “outlier” since most other provinces require cause to dismiss an auditor general.

“There’s been no consultation with our office on these changes. We didn’t know they were coming and we had no input,” Adair told reporters in a Thursday morning news conference.

The PC government tabled a bill Tuesday that would allow for the dismissal of the auditor — “regardless of cause or incapacity” — as long as two-thirds of the legislature agreed.

Currently, just cause has to be shown for an auditor general to be fired through a two-thirds vote. The Progressive Conservatives hold more than three-quarters of the legislature’s 55 seats.