Premier Rodney MacDonald has flitted about lately, changing his mind and his friends the way a fashion model changes clothes.

Two weeks ago the premier wanted to 'cut' a new deal with federal finance minister Jim Flaherty. A week later he was talking tough and threatening to take the feds to court over the Atlantic Accord. This latest happened only after Bill Casey, a former Tory MP, voted his conscience and gained immediate national recognition for his stand against the Harper government.

The week after Casey was kicked out of the federal caucus, MacDonald tried to convince MPs Peter MacKay and Gerald Keddy to follow suit with Casey and vote against the budget. The premier's wish wasn’t granted, MacKay's words of a “free vote” weren’t true and both looked desperate to save their political skins.

The public has been watching this drama unfold for months and the plethora of letters to provincial papers suggest MacDonald's actions are too little, too late. The new “aggressive Rodney” just isn’t believable to the majority of Nova Scotians who hold they were taken for a ride so Harper can bolster support in Ontario.

The daily drama focuses now on who will take whom to court over the “broken promise”. Danny Williams is prepared to fight Ottawa and MacDonald said he too will consider the courts. Saskatchewan NDP premier Lorne Calvert said he’ll sue and added, “it's a poor way to run a country when a prime minister stands up and says, 'sue me'.... It happens when you are in this kind of circumstance where you are betrayed by your own Members of Parliament,” Calvert told the CBC. Responding to Calvert's comments, Harper stood in the House, played dumb and said he doesn't understand why anyone wants to sue his government. It’s a safe bet Harper knew the potential ramifications of his actions and he’s trying to quash any legal threat by indicating he would impose his own.

Tidal power instead of tar sands

Few Canadians west of the Atlantic ever consider the immense contributions made by residents of Atlantic Canada to the “have” provinces. For many decades workers from the Atlantic provinces helped to build western cities and towns, and currentlythey make up a large proportion of the oil patch workforce in Alberta.

However, this province has been on the cutting edge of technology for years and will continue to pursue that tack, provided there are enough skilled workers left to carry out the projects.

Boasting the highest tides in the world has been a hallmark. Currently, there are several companies floating ideas on how best to capitalize on our incredible potential as a major producer of renewable “green” electricity. Not only is the Bay of Fundy a prime place for tidal turbines, Nova Scotia's windswept coastline is ideal for wind-generated electricity.

It's high time the provincial government concentrated on ways to keep our workforce here. Providing incentives for future generations of workers to live and raise a family in this province many would prefer to call home would be a good place for our lame duck premier to start.