Keith Doucette, THE CANADIAN PRESS

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HALIFAX, N.S. - Frustrated psychiatrists showed up at the Nova Scotia legislature Tuesday to push the government to settle their first contract since April 2008.

The doctors, who work for the Capital District Health Authority, said they would show their displeasure with the lack of progress by refusing to staff a new mental health court in Dartmouth, slated to hear its first case Thursday.

The district's chief of psychiatry, Dr. Nick Delva, said a memorandum of understanding on a new academic funding plan was signed with the province in June with the understanding that the contract would be settled by Oct. 31.

"So a lot of work has been done, but there are still a few things to iron out," Delva told reporters.

He said the new agreement would add about $3 million to a previous contract worth about $20 million, although it wouldn't mean an increase in salaries.

"It reimburses the department for work that's been provided for free in previous years," he said.

Delva said he was sure a new deal could be reached within the next 10 days if Health Department officials would commit to sit down and hammer out the details.

"Money is obviously always an issue when it comes to funding services. We do need to be competitive within Canada," said Delva. "But I think a key frustration has been not having a contract at all since the beginning of April 2008 and not having a new (funding plan)since the beginning of April 2006."

Meanwhile, Justice Department officials said operations at the new court won't be affected because private psychiatrists would simply be enlisted to staff the facility if and when needed.

In the legislature, Premier Darrell Dexter told the Opposition Liberals that a memorandum of understanding would be signed with psychiatrists within the next "week or so."

"It's a matter of having the (funding plan) approved, which is going to be done shortly," Dexter told the house.

However, the premier was contradicted outside the legislative chamber by Health Minister Maureen MacDonald, who told reporters her department would be focused on the swine flu outbreak for the immediate future.

"I think it's pretty clear what I'm looking at in the next 10 days and it's not sitting down and doing collective bargaining, sadly," said MacDonald. "Right now our staff are pretty much focused on getting the vaccine that we have to the people who need it most and the truth of the matter is that's my priority."

Liberal Leader Stephen McNeil said psychiatrists couldn't be blamed if they felt confused by what they were hearing in the legislature.

"Clearly what happened here today is that the premier said one thing on the floor of the house and the minister said something quite different outside. They're not on the same page," said McNeil.