The Power of the People Forces Premier to Back Pedal on Some Cuts

This article appears in the Winter/Spring edition of the Union Stand.

he Houston government seemed unprepared to deal with the backlash of their budget that included an historic budget deficit of $1.2 billion and over $130 million in cuts to programs and services that Nova Scotians count on.

Following the introduction of the Houston budget, government Ministers seemed unable to answer basic questions about how decisions were made on the cuts to their individual departments. For the first time in the Houston governments tenure Nova Scotians were angry and wanted answers. It appeared that many ministers were unaware or did not understand the budget impacts on their departments.

What happened next showed the true power of the people.

A series of rallies took place outside the Legislature, each one gathering more participation and more frustration with the Houston government. Cuts to African Nova Scotian Affairs led to both the Premier and the Minister responsible to be jeered and booed during their attendance at the African Heritage Month gala.

The arts and culture communities were loud advocates against cuts to their funding, and the Opposition parties stood shoulder to shoulder with families directly impacted by cuts to supports for people with disabilities and cuts to care for seniors.

Each day government MLAs were questioned on their cuts and the first cracks started to be revealed as government MLAs and cabinet ministers started to voice their concerns in the media.

The NSGEU did its part in organizing and participating in rallies outside the legislature as well as launching a media campaign that aimed to keep the pressure on government and questioning the cuts.

On Tuesday, March 10, the Premier held a press conference where he reversed nearly $54 million in cuts. Funding was restored to programming for people with disabilities, seniors and African Nova Scotia and Indigenous students.

Cuts to tourism, culture and heritage all remain on the chopping block. Which is counter- productive to the government’s argument that the province needs more revenue. Arts, culture and tourism all generate revenue and if done strategically could increase even more. There is no example of a government ever cutting their way to prosperity.

The Premier also suggested that in the future, his government will initiate a budget consultation process so decisions would be more informed and thoughtful going forward.

Leader of the Opposition, Claudia Chender (NDP) called the cuts cruel, “and the fact that the government couldn’t foresee that raises questions about their competence.”

The back peddling has forced the government to amend their own budget and has pushed the legislative sitting beyond March break. When the government returns, they will be hopeful the rallies have died down and move for a quick passage of the budget and adjourn the legislature until the fall.

The pressure created by the power of the people has produced results. Is there enough momentum to force the government to back track even further or will they get their budget passed as it is now?

The legislature resumes after the March break on March 23.