Budget 2026 leaves workers and their families behind

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HALIFAX – Nova Scotia’s provincial budget, tabled yesterday, attacks workers and puts the front-line services Nova Scotians depend on at risk. These cuts leave workers and their families behind.

“Workers have had to be resilient over the years, stretching every dollar to balance their household budgets in the face of COVID, the cost-of-living crisis and tariff uncertainty,” said Melissa Marsman, President of the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour. “Now, Tim Houston and the Conservatives are asking workers to sacrifice again.”

Workers have already sounded the alarm that job cuts announced ahead of the budget will have a negative impact on tourism. Budget 2026 calls for an annual 5% cut to the public service for the next four years. This will mean a reduction of 443 full-time jobs this year. This number does not include the planned annual 3% cut to the broader public service, also to be implemented each year for the next four years.

“Good, unionized jobs strengthen Nova Scotia,” said Marsman. “When workers earn a decent wage, they spend that money in their communities, supporting local economies across the province.”

A further $130.4 million cut to program grants will also impact front-line jobs and the services Nova Scotians depend on.

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For more information or to arrange interviews contact: David Etherington, NSFL Communications Coordinator, at (902) 292-7991.

The Nova Scotia Federation of Labour is the provincial voice of the Labour Movement, representing 70,000 members in over 400 union locals.