On Wednesday, March 24, a group of spectators sat in the public gallery of Province House at 11:30pm and watched the government pass a budget that is doing real harm to real people across Nova Scotia. They didn’t go there to protest. They didn’t go there to sing. They went to look the government in […]
Liz LeClair
Posted inNews + Opinion
Nova Scotia’s budget cuts will hurt the nonprofit sector more than COVID ever did
The last three weeks have been some of the most demoralizing — and also some of the most galvanizing — of my career in the nonprofit sector. When the Houston government tabled its provincial budget, it did so without consulting the communities it was gutting. Indigenous communities, Black and African Nova Scotian communities, 2SLGBTQIA+ groups, […]
Posted inUncategorized
Used, abused, and left to struggle: When politicians use advocates to seek political points
This weekend, I had the pleasure of sitting down and speaking with artist, DJ and podcaster Israel Ekanem for My Blackout podcast. This was a rare moment of good health, as I have been struggling for months with complications and chronic pain related to abdominal adhesions. Talking to Israel was a joy. He asked complex […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Nova Scotia’s culture of silence is deadly
This past week, Lisa Banfield, the former spouse of mass shooter Gabriel Wortman, gave a series of public interviews ahead of the release of her book, First Survivor: Life with Canada’s Deadliest Mass Shooter. In it, she recounts decades of psychological and physical violence. What Banfield describes aligns with what experts call coercive control and […]
Posted inOpinion
Mandy Wood deserved better. So do the women of Nova Scotia
On Christmas Day, Mandy Wood died. Wood was a beloved radio host based in Truro. She was also a woman failed—systematically and repeatedly—by Nova Scotia’s healthcare system. Mandy died from a rare form of vulvar cancer that went misdiagnosed for more than a year. Mandy waited for two years to see a gynecologist, and by […]
Posted inOpinion
Why the ability to speak truth to power matters, and why Houston and his staff are quelling dissent
On Nov. 28, former Justice Minister and Attorney General Becky Druhan participated in a panel discussion and made a public admission that many of us in the advocacy space have long suspected: the centralized, leader-centric political environment cultivated under Premier Tim Houston’s government has stifled dissent and silenced critics. Speaking alongside Independent MLA Elizabeth Smith […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
When symbols replace substance: Tim Houston’s populist use of the military
Last week, Premier Tim Houston used his office and considerable public platform to admonish the judiciary over the issue of wearing poppies in courtrooms. For anyone who missed it: Houston took to X to rage against two Nova Scotia judges who supposedly asked people not to wear poppies in the courtroom. The outrage cycle that […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
A cabinet shuffle that distracts us from a crisis
Last week, Premier Tim Houston unceremoniously removed two members of his cabinet. One of them was Becky Druhan, MLA for Lunenburg County and the now-former Minister of Justice — notably, the only person with a law degree to hold that portfolio under Houston’s leadership. This shake-up came right after the shortest legislative sitting Nova Scotia […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Nova Scotia is ‘making it happen’ on everything but NDAs
I recently returned from a trip to the United Kingdom, where I had the opportunity to spend timewith my friend — and someone I deeply admire — Zelda Perkins. If Zelda’s name feels familiar, it’s because she was one of the major catalysts of the #MeToomovement. She was among the first former employees of Miramax […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Back to school and back to advocacy
For years, I was part of the Can’t Buy My Silence (CBMS) movement in Canada. If you’re unfamiliar with the issue of abusive NDAs, you can read more here, here, and here. And if you’re curious why I left CBMS, I’ve explained that here. But walking away from that group didn’t mean walking away from […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Everyone Has an Opinion. I Just Happen to Share Mine.
“Unlikeable. Irritating. Can’t stand her. She never shuts up. I wish she’d realize no one cares what she thinks.” These are just some of the comments I get about my writing. Regularly. Nothing pisses people off more than a woman with strong opinions. Nothing pisses off the establishment more than a woman with strong opinions. […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Hockey culture in this country is steeped in misogyny and rape culture
For any readers who don’t live in Canada, you may not be aware of the recent ruling in the Hockey Canada Scandal and the subsequent trial. I can’t bring myself to regurgitate it word-for-word so you can read about it here, here, and here. The gist is this: five professional hockey players were found not […]