Anti-Houston protesters sing outside new legislative session

PROVINCE HOUSE — Over 100 protestors gathered outside Province House yesterday for a singing protest against Tim Houston’s government before the first legislative sitting of the fall session.

The protest started at noon, an hour before the session began. Protestors gathered on Granville Street outside Province House and sang “Do you Hear the People Sing,” an anti-establishment song from the musical Les Misérables. 

Protestors booed Premier Houston when he walked by to enter the house. Attendees were rallying against Houston’s Progressive Conservative government over budget cuts to arts and culture and attempts to bring fracking and uranium mining back to the province.

The protest ended early, around 1 p.m., after an elderly protester collapsed. It’s unclear why they collapsed, but police officers attended to them, and an ambulance arrived on the scene. Organizers and police directed protesters to leave Gottingen Street. 

The protest was advertised to “usher in a great legislative season of sound decision-making, functional democracy and no more budget cuts for arts and culture!” 

It was originally planned in response to 36 people being banned from the assembly’s gallery last month for allegedly singing and jeering to disrupt a March budget vote. The bans were lifted on Sept. 4 after the protest was announced, but organizers chose not to cancel it.

“[The protest] was more than just about ‘hey, this was a decision that was poorly thought out to ban people from the house.’ It was actually that they’re not listening to their constituents,” says Colleen MacIsaac, who helped organize the protest. 

“The [PCs] very much understand that Nova Scotians want them to listen, and I think they’re making a concerted decision not to.”

Houston went on tour this summer to talk with Nova Scotians about the state of the province. The events, organized through local chambers of commerce, could only be attended after purchasing tickets, which cost over $100 per person for non-chamber of commerce members. 

Police presence was heavy at the protest, with at least 11 officers and two Legislative Assembly security guards. Police closed the section of Granville Street in front of Province House to traffic.

“The event was full of mutual support and people helping each other, people being there for each other and singing together,” says MacIsaac. “It was really beautiful.”

Some protestors wore choir costumes while others held signs saying “We won’t stop singing, nor should we,” and “No fracking waste.” 

Opposition leader Claudia Chender briefly came to the protest, shaking hands and hugging some protestors. MacIsaac says that’s in line with support they’ve seen from NDP and other non-government MLAs at past protests.

“I think everyone who’s not the Conservatives is in line with what is happening [at the protests],” MacIsaac says. “We’re seeing that members of the opposition, the other parties and other independents are seeing how reasonable these calls are.”

Nova Scotians have been protesting Houston’s government since its budget last March, which featured deep cuts including to the province’s arts and culture — some of which were walked back shortly after the budget was tabled.

Yesterday was the legislature’s first sitting since April 9. They sat from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., with members debating issues including affordability and U.S. trade.

A June poll from the Angus Reid Institute found Houston had a 34 per cent approval rating, the third-worst among Canadian premiers.