Thousands gather in Halifax to protest cuts to arts and culture programs

Thousands gathered in downtown Halifax to protest sweeping cuts to arts and culture programs that could cost thousands of jobs. Paul Hollingsworth reports.

HALIFAX — The streets of downtown Halifax were jammed with thousands of protesters, marching on the Nova Scotia Legislature with a unified message.

“I am here today with so many wonderful organizations, and Nova Scotians who are not accepting this,” said independent theatre executive director Masuma Khan.

The Nova Scotia government is cutting $130 million in funding that supports arts and culture programs.

Twelve rural museums across the province are closing, and it’s expected the cuts will impact numerous community, heritage and public service groups. According to opposition leaders, the province’s cultural fabric is being defunded, and they want Premier Tim Houston to further explain the rationale behind the massive cuts.

“I think he’s going to have to explain the answer to that question. Because there’s no reason,” said Nova Scotia NDP Leader Claudia Chender.

“This is not the place to look for cost savings, and it’s very small compared to the big deficit,” added Nova Scotia Liberal interim leader Iain Rankin.

Nova Scotia’s deficit that has reached $1.2 billion, and Houston said that is main reason why he put these programs on the chopping block.

“To protect frontline services, to protect health care and to protect education,” Houston told the legislative assembly last month.

Those reasons are nor good enough for protester Dorian Lang.

“We need to be investing in culture and arts,” said Lang. “It is the thing that makes our community grow.”

Based on data provided by the Nova Scotia Talent Trust, the funding cuts will directly impact 22,000 jobs that are supported by the arts sector.

The Publishers Assistance Program, which put $700,000 towards supporting first-time authors, has also been scrapped.

“I am a writer myself, and I would like to have a local book published one day,” said protestor Cindy Stone. “But it is looking bleak.”

However, Stone has not given up the fight. She hoped her voice was heard and the province reverses the cuts to arts and culture programs in Nova Scotia.