‘We are making up our signs’
They’ve outlined the numbers. Now, the members of Nova Scotians for Equalization Fairness want to see how many people will answer their rallying cry.
The local watchdog group — which says the province is withholding more than $200 million a year in equalization payments from Cape Breton — will hold its second public meeting Tuesday at the Cedars Club in Sydney.
Co-founder Fr. Albert Maroun said the members want to discuss a mass protest Nova Scotians for Equalization Fairness intends to stage in early May. He said it could be the first of several rallies in front of local political offices and government buildings, but future demonstrations could be staged in front of the provincial legislature.
“If we have to block the causeway, if we have to go to Halifax itself, we’re talking about all that stuff,” said Maroun, 86, a former Maronite Catholic priest and physics professor. We’ve been very active — we have over 200,000 replies on social media and we are making up our signs now.”
More than 100 people attended last month’s Nova Scotians for Equalization Fairness meeting, during which the group stated its case. Members said the federal government gave the province a $1.838-billion equalization payment this year, but the province only distributed about $32 million to its municipalities. While the Cape Breton Regional Municipality collects about half of that — roughly $15 million — Nova Scotians for Equalization Fairness says that’s less than one per cent of the $239 million it’s entitled to. Maroun said SydneyVictoria MP Mark Eyking has agreed to sit down with the group in coming days, but other provincial and federal politicians have largely ignored the group’s questions and request for meetings.
“They don’t answer our phone calls, they don’t answer usually our questions, and so on. I think they’re really afraid. This is why they’re stickhandling a lot. They don’t give any numbers when they’re answering — if they answer.”
Maroun said the Nova Scotians for Equalization Fairness message seems to resonate with people.
“People are getting to know what they’ve been shafted with and they’re not very happy with it. They’re not very happy with it and they’re willing to go out and carry the signs — and they’re saying that.”
Tuesday’s meeting is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.