Mi’kma’ki / Nova Scotia - The Ecology Action Centre, Nova Scotia Federation of Labour, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives-Nova Scotia and Advocates for Care of the Elderly are calling on the Houston government to improve transparency and include civil society organizations in this year’s budget lock-up.
Last year all four organizations were excluded from the budget lock-up, and despite repeated requests for an explanation, were met with silence.
“We’ve been invited to and participated in the provincial budget lock-up for more than 15 years,” says Marla MacLeod, director of programs with the Ecology Action Centre. “It’s a valuable opportunity to ask questions of senior bureaucrats about the budget. It allows us to better understand changes to the provincial budget, and to communicate these to our respective communities.”
Every year the government invites a large number of community organizations to the lock-up, which occurs about an hour before the budget is tabled in the legislature. Each organization is allowed to send two representatives. Senior bureaucrats from each department are present and available to answer questions.
"The budget is one of the most important public policy documents,” says Christine Saulnier, director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives-N.S. “We are dedicated to helping Nova Scotians understand how the budget affects them daily. Excluding organizations, like ours, calls into question the current government's commitment to transparency and good democratic processes.”
"We are advocates for the elderly, seeking to ensure quality long-term care,” says Gary Macleod with Advocates for Care of the Elderly. “We represent civil society and act as a bridge between community and government. Citizens deserve to understand the budget and should be welcomed to do so."
"Excluding the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour from the budget lock-up sends a troubling message about the voices this government values," says Melissa Marsman, president of the N.S. Federation of Labour. “We hope to see a change this year so that we can help ensure our communities can understand and participate in government processes that directly affect them.”
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Marla MacLeod
Director of Programs, Ecology Action Centre
(902) 579-0315
marla.macleod@ecologyaction.ca
Ruby Harrington
Communications and Outreach Officer, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives-NS
(902) 956-3866
ccpans@policyalternatives.ca
Gary Macleod
Chair, Advocates for Care of the Elderly
(902) 476-1743
theaceteam@ns.sympatico.ca
Melissa Marsman
President, NS Federation of Labour
(902) 454-6735
nsflpresident@nslabour.ca
The Ecology Action Centre is a member-based environmental charity in Nova Scotia. Since 1971, we've taken leadership on critical environmental issues from biodiversity protection to climate change to environmental justice.
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives-Nova Scotia is an independent, non-partisan research institute concerned with issues of social and economic justice, as well as environmental sustainability.
Since 2007, the Advocates for Care of the Elderly team has been active in its advocacy for the elderly. Over the years, there have been numerous reports of neglect and abuse in long-term care, many of which have resulted in death. Our goal has consistently been to improve the quality of care in long-term care facilities.
The Nova Scotia Federation of Labour is the central provincial voice for Nova Scotia workers. The Fed represents thousands of union members, lobbying the provincial government for justice and fairness for workers across the province.