WAS PERCY PARIS THE RIGHT PICK FOR ERD & TCH?

Not including the newly appointed Premier of Nova Scotia, Darrell Dexter, Percy Paris is the first NDP cabinet minister to have his portfolio overviewed by PH1819. Like ProvinceHouse did for Mr. Dexter, we're attempting to unlock the reasoning behind Minister Paris's large ministerial workload. Officially, Percy Paris, the MLA for Waverley-Fall River-Beaverbank, is now responsible for the Department of Economic & Rural Development; the Department of Tourism, Culture, & Heritage; Nova Scotia Business Inc.; and African-Nova Scotian Affairs.

WHY IS THIS GOOD? From the perspective of the NDP's political staffers, admitting Paris to cabinet speaks loudly to tens of thousands of Nova Scotians (and Canadians, at that) of African descent who have had little or no representation in the past. Percy Paris was a serious businessman, as well. So, in some ways, these moves are obvious.

WHY IS THIS BAD? As Minister of ERD and TCH, Percy Paris is basically Nova Scotia's new ambassador to the globe. Percy Paris was one of the worst communicators in the NDP of the past legislative session - that fact likely hasn't changed. The only thing worse than an intelligent person who comes across as an intellectual weakling is a stupid person who comes across as a stupid person. Thankfully, Paris is the former rather than the latter. Nonetheless, considering the great public strengths of some non-cabinet members in the NDP caucus, one wonders what Dexter was thinking. Minister Paris can, perhaps, be trusted with a huge discretionary budget at ERD, but can he be trusted to accurately articulate the wonders of our province? That's doubtful.