I would argue that the majority of Nova Scotians (who are following this spectacle) are able to see what took place in the Legislature for what it is - political theatre. At no point has any of the three parties advocated to go against public health orders. 1/

Emotions are high, our province has faced significant trauma in the past year, and elected officials are not immune to the stress and exhaustion we are all feeling. While I respect this, it's important that we push back on the hyperbole here - no matter what party you align with.

The Premier called opposition members advocating for a return to the Legislature "arrogant". The definition of arrogance is when a person believes they are superior, and knows more than everyone else. 3/

By that definition, the MLAs pushing to return to work and represent the people who they were elected to serve, in the peoples' house, should be honoured with the opposite description of character - which is humble. 4/

An inescapable fact is that every other Legislature in Canada has met since the start of the pandemic. Dozens of people climb on buses each day to make their way to work. Teachers have been asked to go into classrooms that are not built to adhere to social distancing. 5/

Not one of the MLAs advocating for a return to work is asking to ignore public health protocols. They have been working for months to find a safe solution to continue to represent their communities in the Legislature. To insinuate otherwise is a lie and categorically unfair. 6/