REALITY CHECK: Hundreds raise concerns about PC budget, while Premier stays in Texas

HALIFAX – This week, hundreds of Nova Scotians are taking time out of their day to speak out about the government’s budget and how their decisions will impact jobs, communities and important sectors across the province.

Neither the Premier nor the Finance Minister have been able to explain or provide an analysis of the impact to jobs or the economy.

This disastrous budget has attracted attention for all the wrong reasons. Even Canadian music legend Anne Murray has added her voice to the chorus of people speaking against these cuts.

For weeks, people have raised concerns about cuts to African Nova Scotian and Mi’Kmaq programs, yet the Ministers of African Nova Scotian Affairs and L’nu Affairs still haven’t appeared before the budget committee to answer questions despite multiple requests from the Nova Scotia New Democrats.

The $14 million of cuts to the Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage, which have not been reversed despite widespread provincial outcry, represent just one per cent of the deficit but will impact thousands of jobs, our education and publishing sectors, Gaelic and Acadian programming and support, and our tourism industry by extension.

“Pushing these cuts forward without any understanding of the impact on people’s jobs and our communities is incredibly irresponsible,” said Official Opposition Leader Claudia Chender. “Let’s be clear about what’s happening here: hundreds of people are speaking out about the harm these choices will do while the Premier is in Texas, ministers have been hiding from accountability for weeks, and no fact-based rationale has been presented for the decisions that have been made or reversed.

“The PCs need to pause the budget, actually listen to Nova Scotians and do the work to understand the impact, then come back with something that works.”

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