HALIFAX — The Nova Scotia legislature has temporarily banned 36 people from setting foot in the building for allegedly causing a disruption during the last session. Chief clerk James Charlton said Monday the legislature issued letters informing people they were banned following an extensive review of security footage of a late-night protest that began during a budget-related vote. “The bans are time-limited and proportionate to the actions taken,” he said in an emailed statement. The demonstration began March 24 over opposition to recent provincial budget cuts. Some protesters in the gallery broke into song and others later started yelling. The disruption delayed a vote that went on to be passed the following day. Speaker of the house Danielle Barkhouse said in a statement Monday “the nature of the interruption is immaterial. The motivation for the interruption is immaterial. That proceedings were interrupted is the only issue and for that, there should be consequences,” she said. Barkhouse added that people would similarly face consequences for interrupting a court proceeding, a play, or service at a fast-food restaurant. “This is no different. If you don’t enforce the rules, then those rules don’t exist. There’s a time and place for protest and the gallery of the legislature isn’t one of them,” she said. The protest ended around midnight with some demonstrators blocking exits and preventing vehicles from leaving. One man who continued to block the exit was arrested for mischief and later released without charges, Halifax police said at the time. The demonstration, which followed a number of boisterous protests near the legislature in Halifax’s downtown in February and March, prompted Barkhouse to ramp up security and close access to the public for about a week. It reopened on April 2 with additional restrictions on the use of cellphones and tablets, as well as reading, writing, drawing or sketching during house debates. Christine Saulnier, the director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Nova Scotia, said she received a registered letter at her home on Friday, informing her she had been banned from the legislature for six months. When the song broke out in the gallery last March, Saulnier said she did not sing, but she remained seated and hummed along. “I’m a person who raises questions about what’s happening down there and is very informed about what’s happening down there, and this won’t stop me … but this feels very authoritarian of them,” she said in an interview Monday. Saulnier said she showed up to the gallery as a private citizen with concerns about the then-proposed cuts to arts and culture and programs for African Nova Scotian and Mi’kmaq communities that were included in Premier Tim Houston’s most recent budget. She said it’s important that Nova Scotians show up at the legislature to remind politicians of the constituents they represent and the impact their decisions have on community members. “It’s really important that our elected officials see us witnessing what they’re doing in person,” she said. She said she left after the legislature adjourned for the day without being asked by legislature staff or security. “I’m not suggesting that I shouldn’t be banned and others should, I don’t think anybody should be banned for disruption that evening,” Saulnier said. The bans take effect on Sept. 1 and range in length from three to 12 months. The legislature is set to resume sitting on Sept. 8. Charlton said those who did not protest but failed to exit the galleries when the Speaker ordered they be closed that night are banned for three months, and those who interrupted the vote by demonstrating are banned for six months. Those who interrupted by protesting and “verbally abused” members of the legislature are banned for a full year, Charlton said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 10, 2026. Lyndsay Armstrong, The Canadian Press
