The province is moving ahead with legislation that will change how the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) selects its President—part of what the government says is a broader effort to align the school’s training programs with evolving workforce needs.
The bill, introduced at Province House this week, will shift the authority to appoint NSCC’s President from the college’s board to the provincial cabinet.
Labour, Skills, and Immigration Minister, Nolan Young, says the change is intended to strengthen the connection between the college and the province’s long‑term workforce strategy.
“Nova Scotian’s are really at a pivotal moment here, and we’re seeing major investments in housing, defense, infrastructure, clean energy, and advanced manufacturing, and we’re expanding these industries that will shape the economy for decades to come,” Young says. “But none of this growth is possible without skilled trades people, without a training system that’s connected to what employers actually need.”
He said the updated appointment process will give the province a clearer role in shaping leadership.
Young added that the shift is designed to support more coordinated planning between government, industry, and post‑secondary training.
“This initiative will be guided by industry, focusing on preparing people for real jobs in the skilled trades. As we heard from Deputy, NSCC’s President will now be appointed through governor and council, and altogether, this bill is designed to better align the college with the province’s broader workforce priorities, and to strengthen coordination between government, between NSCC, and between industry,” Young says. “Training decisions will be better aligned with workforce needs not only today, but into the future.”
The government says the changes will help ensure NSCC programs keep pace with emerging industries and labour shortages.
Opposition parties say they are reviewing the legislation and plan to raise questions about governance and what the changes could mean for the college’s independence.
NDP’s Claudia Chender and Liberal’s Ian Rankin say the government is overstepping.
Chender tells reporters that, “the government should fund those things in a way that is responsible and accountable, and then they should get out of the way and let the best qualified people run them with as little interference as possible,” while Rankin says, “the government shouldn’t be able to handpick friends.”
