Vince MacLean Appointed As Electoral Commission Chair
Sydney native and former Nova Scotia Liberal Leader Vince MacLean has a new government job. According to an order in council from November 27th, MacLean has been appointed as Chair of the Nova Scotia Electoral Commission. The 69 year-old was first elected to the House in 1974 and went on to lead the Grits from the mid-80’s to 1992. The New Democrats say that the appointment is disappointing because of MacLean’s connection to a controversial trust fund that dated back to Gerald Regan’s premiership in the 1970s. NDP Leader Maureen MacDonald says that the appointment flies in the face of the McNeil Government’s election pledge to restore public trust in government. MacLean’s five-year appointment took effect on Monday. He’ll be paid 250 dollars per day for Commission meetings, and will be reimbursed for expenses incurred in fulfilling his duties. The Order In Council says that MacLean’s reimbursements will not exceed that normally paid to members of the civil service.