HALIFAX —

Hundreds of protesters have gathered outside the Nova Scotia legislature in Halifax to oppose the provincial government’s resource extraction policies and cuts to cultural programs.

The First Nations-led protest brought together Mi’kmaq leaders, environmental activists and labour groups who are opposing, among other things, $130 million in government grant cuts in last week’s deficit budget.

Speakers said Premier Tim Houston’s government is ignoring its treaty obligations and some called for his resignation.

Houston isn’t in the legislature today, as he’s attending a mining conference in Ontario.

The Finance Department has said its plan to reduce the deficit includes pulling all grant funding for Mi’kmaq services in the Education Department and cutting the entire grant for Halifax’s Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre.

Facing a $1.2-billion deficit, the Houston government has chosen to reduce or cancel more than 280 grants across several departments, including for scholarship programs, arts funding, African Nova Scotian programs and disability supports.

Houston’s government has also angered environmentalists and some First Nations leaders by lifting blanket bans on uranium exploration and hydraulic fracking of fossil fuels.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 3, 2026.

Devin Stevens, The Canadian Press