His Honour the Honourable Mike Savage

Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia

We, the undersigned citizens and voters of Nova Scotia, hereby express our non-confidence in the Government of Premier Tim Houston for the following reasons:

1. Its blatant disregard for its own fixed election date provisions enacted as amendments to the NS Elections Act as part of its very first legislative effort during its first mandate. The resulting snap election saw one of the lowest voter turnouts in our history due to voter disenfranchisement, an extremely short electoral period and the complication of a postal strike. A super majority of 43 seats was achieved by the Houston Government, in spite of only receiving less than 24% of the eligible vote.
2. Its recent and unprecedented attacks on Nova Scotians who have stepped up and invested their time, expertise and love for their province in past conversations, commissions and committee hearings that resulted in meaningful and informed discussion of environmental and social issues. These mature and responsible conversations resulted in sound policy and legislation that framed the way forward for Nova Scotia. The Houston Government has now put forward legislative proposals to reverse these past decisions, without consultation or  transparency.
3. Its recent and unprecedented attacks on the processes that underpin our democracy, namely the powers and independence of officers of the Legislature appointed to hold the government to account, a free and unfettered press, the access by citizens to government information, the ability for citizens to provide input into the legislative process, a proper and reasonable segregation of authorities and powers between provincial and municipal government.

Due to this manifest lack of confidence in the Houston Government's ability and willingness to put Nova Scotians' best interests first in its governance, we the undersigned call upon you to exercise your Royal Prerogative and the powers vested in you by the Constitution Acts of 1867 and 1982 to dissolve the current Legislature and call an election so that the confidence of Nova Scotians in their government may be restored.