Legislative Assistant (2 Positions)
Department: Legislative Services
Location: HALIFAX
Type of Employment: Permanent
Union Status: Exclusion - Non Union - NSPG
Closing Date: 30-May-24 (Applications are accepted until 11:59 PM Atlantic Time)
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 Law Amendments 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;
- Prepare engrossed Bills for Royal Assent and Chapter lists, indexes and Table of Contents for Royal Assent Bills;
- Prepare the annual volume of the Statutes of Nova Scotia for publication by the King’s Printer;
- 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 accounts, 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.
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
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, 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.
Additional Information
This posting is to fill 2 permanent positions, based in Halifax.
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.
Salary Range: $1,940.61 - $2,425.76 Bi-Weekly
Employment Equity Statement
Our goal is to be a diverse workforce that is representative, at all job levels, of the citizens we serve. The Government of Nova Scotia has an Employment Equity Policy, and we welcome applications from Indigenous People, African Nova Scotians and Other Racially Visible Persons, Persons with Disabilities and Women in occupations or positions where they are under-represented. If you are a member of one of these equity groups, you are encouraged to self-identify on your electronic application.
Current government employees may access this posting through the link below:
PLEASE NOTE: Candidates will not be considered for an interview if applications are incomplete or are missing information.
Offer of employment is conditional upon the completion of all applicable background checks and confirmation of credentials, the results of which must be satisfactory to the employer. We thank all applicants for the interest, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. All questions and concerns may be directed to Competitions@novascotia.ca.