HALIFAX, NS (September 15, 2026): Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin, Independent MLA for Cumberland North, is proposing legislation to protect health-care workers who report unsafe care or other wrongdoing.
“Health-care workers have an ethical responsibility to report unsafe conditions, but too often the workplace culture prevents them from speaking up,” said Smith-McCrossin. “They should be supported and protected when they fulfill that responsibility.”
The Healthcare Whistle-blower Protection Act would establish an independent commissioner as an officer of the House of Assembly. The commissioner would be required to investigate wrongdoing disclosed under the Act, protect the identity of the person making the disclosure, and have powers to compel documents and testimony.
Smith-McCrossin said the bill responds to concerns raised by a concerning number of health-care workers who have reached out to her in confidence. Among them is former Nova Scotia Health analyst Jesse Yang, who has since chosen to speak publicly about his experience.
Yang raised patient safety concerns. He was working on Nova Scotia Health’s online emergency department wait-time tool that was introduced in June 2022 as a way to predict wait-times at 10 emergency departments across the province. Yang considered this was an ethical issue, and believed inaccurate wait-times could be life-threatening. He said when he raised this with his superiors, they told him the model just needed to “look good.” After raising the concerns, his work contract was not renewed.
Yang fully supports Smith McCrossin’s Whistle-Blower Protection Act. “This bill does not ask healthcare workers to be brave. It changes what happens when they are,” Yang said. He described the need for a culture where reporting a hazard is expected, rather than career-ending.
The legislation would cover workers throughout the publicly funded health-care system, including contractors, students, trainees and former workers. It would protect them from dismissal, demotion, threats and other retaliation for reports made in good faith, including protected disclosures to MLAs and journalists.
When an employer takes adverse action following a protected report, it would have to demonstrate that the action was taken for a legitimate, unrelated reason. Workplace policies and confidentiality agreements could not be used to prohibit protected reports.
The commissioner could order interim protection, reinstatement, compensation for lost pay or compensation in place of reinstatement. Individuals convicted of violating the Act could face fines of up to $50,000, while corporations could face fines of up to $250,000.
The commissioner would publish an annual report outlining recommendations, complaint outcomes and corrective actions, without identifying individuals.
“If we want safer health care, we have to protect the people who tell us when something is wrong, something every member of this House should welcome,” said Smith-McCrossin. “That’s why I am asking every member of the House to support this bill.”