No undue pressure from the premier to force his colleague to resign his role at Province House.
That’s the findings of an investigation into the removal of Cape Breton MLA Keith Bain as Speaker of the legislature.
Deputy Speaker Angela Simmonds delivered the ruling on Tuesday after meeting privately with both sides.
The Liberals called for the investigation because they felt Premier Tim Houston pressured Bain to resign from the role because he made rulings that did not sit well with the government.
The probe revealed the premier never asked Bain to change the way he conducts himself but Houston was not willing to discuss delaying his resignation.
The speaker’s role is to remain independent and enforce the rules of the house regardless of which party he/she is affiliated with, in this case, Bain is a member of the governing Progressive Conservatives.
Bain will step down as Speaker on April 1.
