Stephen McNeil: Principle and Politics

by Dan Leger

In today’s moralistic politics, to differ is to sin. But Stephen McNeil actually was different; he willingly committed the political sin of valuing principle over popularity. Premier of Nova Scotia for seven years, through elections, unrest, danger, and even tragedy, McNeil was determined to govern by putting principle first. Not everyone agreed with him or his priorities, but he accepted that because he was in politics for reasons other than the quest for power and the need to keep it. In Stephen McNeil: Principle and Politics, award-winning journalist and author Dan Leger argues that McNeil’s name should be there when we talk about premiers of consequence.
With twenty black and white photos and a full-colour photo insert, Stephen McNeil: Principle and Politics tells the previously untold inside story of McNeil’s eventful career in politics. Through exclusive interviews with political insiders and with McNeil himself, Leger reveals that, like him or not, Stephen McNeil has had a lasting impact on the lives of Nova Scotians.

264 pages, Paperback

Published September 20, 2022

Reviews

[Kelly Greenwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting to gain new perspectives on the former Premier of Nova Scotia, who was in office prior to the pandemic and became so familiar to residents of the Province through frequent Covid briefings with Dr. Strang. I knew from following the news that Premier McNeil imposed long needed fiscal discipline on the Province, at least until Covid shutdowns required a drastic change to that approach.

I liked the internal mnemonic that guided the McNeil government planning: Feed: "Fiscal, Economy, Education and Demographics". I admire McNeil's long term approach to decision making for government, and his willingness to make and stick with the tough decisions. One of his popular phrases, as described in the book, was "We're going to make this decision; its not going to be popular, but its the right thing to do and we'll figure the politics out afterward." That concept is one all leaders could learn from.

Despite the justifications presented for the pre-primary expansion, I still think that was both the wrong emphasis and rife with implementation issues. If a guiding justification was really to "help working families by transferring the costs of supervising those kids during the workday to the province", then I feel it would have been better done by expanding day-care availability. Daycares actually operate for a whole workday; unlike schools with more limited hours.

While democracy suffered during McNeil's time in power, and his fiscal restraint was blown away by necessary government spending for supports during the Covid-19 pandemic, McNeil still leaves positive legacies of increased immigration, increased government strength in negotiating with public sector unions, and establishing that governments can stand up to big business. He is also a great case study of a politician who put the public good above the popular decisions designed mostly to ensure re-election.

Would have been nice to have an index in the book.

[Will Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good read. Overall, I'm a bit less sympathetic to McNeil than Leger, but he still does his subject justice by pointing out the dissenting opinions of the Premier. By having access to McNeil and his senior advisors, the book also, if nothing else, provides the kind of in-depth perspective into a government's thinking you rarely get, while also bypassing the kind of tangents and score settling you sometimes see when the subject themselves pens their own book. Lots of scoops as well, including some jaw-dropping information about the 2021 Liberal campaign under their new leader.