N.S. NDP Leader Claudia Chender kicked out of legislature after school food remarks

NDP Leader Claudia Chender was kicked out of the legislature for the first time on Friday. 

During question period, Chender pressed Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Becky Druhan’s claim that every student in Nova Scotia can get food when needed. 

“We know that it is important that students have access to food in schools and if the member opposite is aware of situations, I encourage her to bring them to my attention. I’d like to know about it,” Druhan said in response to Chender, noting three schools in Dartmouth South that have no cafeteria facility. 

After Druhan’s response, house leader Kim Masland rose on a point of order. 

Masland said a member of the NDP exclaimed, “It is a lie” when Druhan was speaking.

“Madam Speaker, that is unparliamentary language to suggest that the response that the minister of education was given is a lie. I ask that that statement be retracted,” Masland said. 

Chender said Druhan previously stated every student had access to food but changed her answer when responding to the NDP leader. 

She went on to apologize for the use of unparliamentary language but said she stood by her statement that not every student in Nova Scotia has access to food in school. 

However, only an apology wasn’t acceptable to House Speaker Karla MacFarlane. 

MacFarlane asked Chender to retract her statement multiple times, however, Chender would only apologize for her use of unparliamentary language.

“I’m going to ask the member, the leader of the New Democratic Party, I’m going to give one more chance to stand in your place and to please indicate that you will retract the statement,” MacFarlane said. 

“If you do not, I have been advised and I will follow through with sadly having to remove you from the chamber.” 

Chender doubled down that her statement was true and that she would only apologize for the use of her language. 

“Families simply can’t afford in many cases to feed their children right now.”

– NDP Leader Claudia Chender

Members of her caucus and the Liberal party applauded as Chender was escorted from the legislature. 

Outside the legislature, Chender said access to food is one of the number one issues people bring forward to her. 

“Families simply can’t afford in many cases to feed their children right now,” she said.

Chender pointed out that Nova Scotia received the worst grade in Canada in a recent food banks’ poverty report. 

“Certainly it’s important to me to be a respectful parliamentarian, but it’s also important to me that ministers of the Crown tell the truth and in this case, the assertion that students have access to healthy food is simply not true.”