About Us

The Office of the Legislative Counsel provides legal advice and support to the House of Assembly, the Speaker, the committees of the House and their chairs, the House of Assembly Management Commission and the Assembly’s administration. The Office drafts all bills introduced in the Assembly and all amendments to the bills as they proceed through the legislative process and publishes them in print and on the Internet. The Office also publishes the bound statutes and consolidations of the public statutes in both loose leaf and on the Assembly’s website. The members of the Assembly and their staff, the public service, the legal and business communities and the general public depend upon these publications.

About Our Opportunity

Reporting to and under the supervision of the Chief Legislative Counsel, and working with four other Legislative Counsel and two Legislative Assistants, you will perform editing and other duties respecting the preparation of bills for review by instructing officials and eventual introduction in the House of Assembly and amendments to those bills for consideration by the Assembly, the publication of the bills and the statutes in print and on the Web including the preparation of various tables and indexes of the bills and statutes, the consolidation of the statutes and the management of the website, and other administrative duties. You will deal regularly with members of the Assembly and their staff, with the public service and with the general public.

Primary Accountabilities

As Legislative Assistant, you will be expected to:

• Assist the Legislative Counsel in the preparation of draft legislation for consideration by ministers of the Crown, departments and agencies of the Government, members of the House of Assembly and others;
• Field calls about Bills to be considered by the Public Bills Committee and the Private and Local Bills Committee, prepare meeting notices and agendas and schedule witnesses for meetings of, and distribute submissions to, those Committees;
• Assist Legislative Counsel in the consolidation of statutes for publication in looseleaf binders and on website;
• Maintain the Office of the Legislative Counsel website in both English and French by reformatting and coding all introduced Bills, Royal Assent Acts, Proclamations, consolidated Statutes and all corresponding lists;
• Field inquiries to the Office of the Legislative Counsel which may include research before responding;
• Maintain filing system for each facet of office work, including legislation, proclamations, general, consolidations, repeals, annuals and in-house storage of these files;
• Communicate, sometimes on a daily basis, with department ministers, deputy ministers, solicitors, Caucus offices, House of Assembly personnel, Chief Clerk, Speaker, Communications Nova Scotia, and King’s Printer by phone, email and in-person regarding legislative matters relating to the Office.

Qualifications and Experience

This may be the right opportunity for you if you have a Bachelor’s degree or diploma program in a relevant discipline (such as English or paralegal studies) and/or related experience in the field. An acceptable combination of training and experience may be considered. Knowledge of legislation and legislative proceedings is an asset.

While not required, it is considered an asset if you are functionally bilingual (English/French).

Your ability to prioritize multiple priorities under tight deadlines is essential to your success in this role.  Furthermore, you demonstrate:

• Strong teamwork and collaboration skills
• Excellent communication skills (verbal & written)
• High degree of professionalism, tact, and diplomacy and consistently exercise discretion and confidentiality in managing correspondence and information
• Exceptional attention to detail is critical in this role with a particular focus on proofreading, punctuation, and grammar skills. You promote positivity and inclusivity in your work
• The Office works for and with members of all political parties represented in the House of Assembly, you must be non-partisan

We will assess the above qualifications and competencies using one or more of the following tools: written examination, standardized tests, oral presentations, interview(s), and reference checks.

Equivalency

This is an excellent career opportunity for many, and we do consider an equivalent combination of training, education, and experience. Applicants relying on education and experience equivalencies must demonstrate such equivalencies in their application.

Benefits

Based on the employment status and union agreement, the Government of Nova Scotia offers its employees a wide range of benefits such as a Defined Benefit Pension Plan, Health, Dental, Life Insurance, General illness, Short and Long Term Disability, Vacation and Employee and Family Assistance Programs.  For information on all our Benefit program offerings, click here: Benefits for government employees.

Working Conditions

Working hours are from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday to Friday but overtime work will be required at times in evenings and on weekends.

What We Offer

• Career development where you have access to career guidance, tools, resources, and ongoing training for every stage of your career
• Engaging workplace: our employees feel valued, respected, connected, and tuned in, we have forward-thinking policies and strategies
• Countless career paths
• Department specific flexible working schedules