HON. JAMIE BAILLIE: Mr. Speaker, last Spring Nova Scotia taxpayers paid all the bills in the City of Portland to upgrade their ferry terminal, to paint the lines in their parking lot, and so on. Now we know from Portland that they collected $85,000 in fees from the Yarmouth ferry.

Mr. Speaker, they got the gold mine, we got the shaft. Will the Premier explain to the taxpayers of Nova Scotia why it's fair that Portland collects the money and we get the bills?

...

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Pictou East.

MR. TIM HOUSTON: We all had a bit of a giggle on this side of the House when we read in one of the local newspapers from a government-side MLA who said he's less concerned with what happens in this House than what he can do for his constituents. Then this government that claims to be the most transparent and open government in history, at the very moment they are presented with an option to be exactly more transparent, that member wouldn't stand in his place - he hid in the library.

HON. MICHEL SAMSON: Mr. Speaker, on a point of order. While things can get heated at times, here in this House, I believe that there is a level of decorum that's still expected of all members and I find it ironic that we would have student representatives here to see the performance that was put on by certain members today.

LENORE ZANN: My question for the Premier today is, does the Premier agree with his government's written legal brief that Nova Scotia is exempt from the duty to consult our First Nations people, and does he identify the Sipekne'katik band as a "conquered people"?

MR. SPEAKER: I'd like to remind the honourable member that it's unparliamentary to ask the minister's opinion on a legal matter, so I'm going to disallow the question. Do you have a supplementary?

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT: Mr. Speaker, I stand on a point of order. In accordance with Rule 14(1), which talks about members' attendance, "Every Member is bound to attend the services of the House unless leave of absence has been given by the House or the Speaker."

We got notice today of the absence of two ministers, at 9:51 a.m. and at 9:36 a.m. this morning. Having a sitting at 11:00 a.m., it didn't give us a lot of notice to make changes to our Question Period lineup.

HON. DENISE PETERSON-RAFUSE: Mr. Speaker, I have to take a minute and express my anger and frustration with the Premier's unwillingness to cancel activities at the Legislature yesterday until the eleventh hour. While government offices were closed, buses were pulled off the road and the police were advising everyone to stay home, the Premier continued to refuse to cancel proceedings at the Legislature. In doing so, the Premier demonstrated that he thinks his agenda is more important than the safety of those who work and are associated with the activities taking place in this House.

LENORE ZANN: So, I want to wish a Happy Valentine's Day to all of the hard-working teachers across the province. Hang in there, teachers. We love you.

MR. SPEAKER: I want to also remind members not to use Members' Statements to speak directly to constituents.

The honourable member for Waverley-Fall River-Beaver Bank.

LENORE ZANN: Mr. Speaker, it seems to me that the minister is just avoiding the question. I wonder if she has also heard of "alternative facts," since she and the Premier seem to be quite full of them.

The minister plans to establish a committee, we've heard, and it's not the same as capping class sizes. In New Brunswick, the agreement with the Teachers Federation has an article that specifically addresses class size for all grade levels. It defines the normal class size as 26 students with no class size exceeding 29 - and I'll table that, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Just before we move on to the next Member's Statement, I want to remind all members that Members' Statements should not be used to debate any legislation or resolution currently before the House so just keep that in mind with your future statements.

MS. LISA ROBERTS: What happened yesterday was another example of the Premier thinking he knows best.

On Sunday, the Emergency Management Office and the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal urged people to stay off the roads during the coming storm. That same day, the government announced the cancellation of the Law Amendments Committee. Sunday night, the decision was made to close all provincial government offices for Monday.