Nova Scotia’s Province House is truly “the people’s house”

by Jodi DeLong

It’s been more than 40 years since I’d been through the doors of Province House, but a rush of civic pride went through me as I entered the building in downtown Halifax. Yes, there are minor changes, like the security gate everyone must pass through—a simple fact of our times. Standing in the magnificent entryway with its fossil-studded marble and limestone floor, surveying the architecture and the grand staircase that’s one of the focal points, I think about the men and women who have served the province and worked tirelessly on its behalf in the past two centuries. Was that the ghost of Joseph Howe I just heard?

This collection of individuals past and present includes the smiling man who comes to greet me, the Speaker of the House, the Honourable Kevin Murphy. Elected to office in 2013, he was nominated as Speaker by Premier Stephen McNeil, elected unanimously by his colleagues in the House, and has continued to serve as both MLA to Eastern Shore and Speaker of the House since that time. He’s currently the longest-serving Speaker in Canada and intends to stand for election the next time Nova Scotia goes to the polls, too.

“It’s kind of a fun hobby to have discussions about government and politics, some favourable and some not so favourable, depending on what the issues of the day are,” Murphy says, “but, Nova Scotians should be extremely proud of our place in history, the Westminster system of government which occupies such a historic part of the history of the Commonwealth, and of the fact that we play host to many countries and jurisdictions keen to learn about our system of government and how we do things here.”

We take seats in the Veterans’ Room, a bright and welcoming room that was formerly the Cabinet meeting chamber, and which was named so to pay tribute on behalf of all Nova Scotians to the men and women who wear the uniform in support of our country. Murphy is proud of the seat of government and as enthused about it as he is about his role in serving the province.

A storied structure

Province House is remarkable on a number of levels—not the least of which that it’s still standing after 200 years and is still functioning in such a vital role as the seat of our government. It’s a beautiful building, constructed of sandstone that was quarried in Wallace, NS, and designed and built in accordance with the British Palladian tradition of architecture. To some, it might resemble a Greek or Roman temple, with its graceful columns and spacious halls, symmetrical structure with distinctive entrances and windows, high ceilings and stately columns throughout. When its construction began in 1811, the government of the day budgeted £20,000 (about $70,000 Canadian at the time), and given construction techniques of the day, the lack of automation and machinery, the fact that it was completed in only about eight years is commendable.

Walk through the various rooms of Province House, and you can’t help but notice and be impressed by the quality of construction and of the furnishings and art that grace the building. In the Red Chamber, a polished hardwood table dates back to Halifax’s founding. On the walls throughout are marvelous works of art, from massive paintings of past royal and military personages to a collection of exquisite Mi’kmaq quillwork to a portrait of Thomas Chandler Haliburton. The Legislature’s library houses more than 65,000 volumes, with the oldest dating back to 1488—a Latin book on astrology, of all things!

Then there’s the Legislative Chamber which holds the distinction of being the first assembly in the Commonwealth to have a wheelchair-accessible Speaker’s dais. The dais is 18 inches higher than other seats in the Chamber, and this posed a problem for Murphy, who uses a wheelchair, to be able to ascend and then transfer to the chair. A ramp was constructed to solve this issue, and Murphy says, “I looked at it from a functional basis, but it’s very symbolic and one more thing for the people of NS to be proud of—that a person, regardless of ability, can occupy that particular seat in the Assembly as the head of the Assembly.”

Nova Scotia practises a British parliamentary style of government: the Speaker sits on the dais, the government sits to the right and the opposition to the left. Among the paintings and portraits in the chamber is a portrait of Joseph Howe, reminding us all of the famous libel trial he successfully defended himself against in the nearby library, which in 1835 served as the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia.

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today…”

The role of Speaker is a unique one—it’s non-partisan, regardless of which party the MLA is a member of—and is the head of the legislative branch of government. Murphy says, “My job is essentially to keep all 51 of our elected representatives working toward the same goal—the betterment of the province.” He acts as chair of the sitting, to make sure that fair and equitable debate occurs and that every MLA has an opportunity to express views and opinions on behalf of their constituents.

“I like to think what goes on in the Chamber could be viewed as a microcosm of society,” he adds. “Many of our rules that are centred around respect, time allotted within a debate, procedures—these have been around for hundreds of years and are there for a reason. In order to keep order and to maintain productive debate, we have to stick to our rules.

Murphy continues that one of the rules or traditions that stretches back two centuries, and more is the respect for the Speaker’s position. MLAs and others bow to the Speaker’s dais when entering or leaving the room; never turn their backs on the speaker, and never walk between the Speaker and the person speaking on the floor. “Those are little things, but when you begin to lose sight of that position of authority and the Speaker’s ultimate rule of proceedings, you can see how things could deteriorate quickly into bedlam.”

The proceedings in the Chamber are open to any member of the public who wishes to come in and observe—in parliamentary terms, the public are referred to as strangers—but are not permitted on the floor of the Chamber. They can observe from the gallery but can’t participate in proceedings, so that order may be maintained and business can continue. 

Preserving a legacy

How does one maintain such a storied and vital structure in the midst of downtown Halifax? Murphy says, “It’s very well taken care of—the staff is a small but mighty group who are very dedicated to the building—and of course we’re a national historic site, a provincial historic site, so everything from the most minor to more significant structural repairs is done with the greatest of care.” Murphy says that the staff have paid attention to balancing the current needs of a modern government with also paying attention to the character of Province House. When it was time recently to repaint the walls, staff researched and recommended the use of historic colours that would have graced the building when it opened. Of course, there were no vehicles when Province House was built, and it was surrounded with parklike grounds—work is being done to restore and create a green space to complement its beauty.

Visitors to Province House may notice that certain sculpted birds that adorn door casings are missing their heads. This act of vandalism was perpetrated during a boundary dispute between New Brunswick and Maine, in the years 1839-1840. A sitting MLA named Lawrence O’Connor Doyle took offense to these birds, thinking they looked like American eagles. He took it upon himself to behead every bird he could reach with his walking stick. Kevin Murphy says when he got settled in as Speaker, the staff took him around and asked if he wanted the birds restored or to leave them be. “And who wants to interrupt such a great story?” he asks with a chuckle.

As we go downstairs toward the entryway, he adds, “Every day, you can come in and close your eyes and think about what conversations and decisions were made; you can almost smell the cigar smoke and the whisky and hear the ice cubes tinkling. I think of the great privilege that those of us who are elected have to sit in those seats and represent our friends and families. Think of the millions of people who have lived here in the past few centuries—only a relatively small handful have been tasked with leading the people of this province.”

Photo credit: Jodi Delong

The door is always open

Province House is only a short distance from the cruise ship pier, and since the Port of Halifax has become the main port of call on Canada’s East Coast, many visitors come from the vessels to visit the seat of government.

Since Speaker Murphy’s offices are located at Province House—other MLAs and staff have offices across the road at One Government Place—he’s on site many days of the week. “I take great pride in talking to visitors, finding out where they’re from,” he says. “They’re amazed by the age of the building, its beauty both inside and out, and that the fact that it’s the operational heart of government,” he says. “It’s the people’s house and the door is always open. We have to deal with the realities of today’s security requirements, but it’s important to me as Speaker, and to the Premier and every MLA that we stick with the principle that this is the people’s house.

“It may take a wee bit longer to get through the door, but we are accessible and open to anyone.” 

Intro Credit: nova scotia archives / Notman studio Accession no. 1983-310 number 1940/ n-1786
Intro Caption: Province House as it stood in 1890. Right: A handwritten entry from the 1758 journals of the House of Assembly.
Header Credit: Nova Scotia Legislative Library
Header Caption: Province House is rich with history and glorious architectural details.