Student leaders across the province are gearing up for a historic university strike to protest deep cuts to post‑secondary education, demand affordable tuition, and call for a new approach to university funding.
Organizers say the week‑long action, March 15 to 21, will mark the first province‑wide student walkout in Nova Scotia’s history.
The idea was first mandated at a Canadian Federation of Students–Nova Scotia (CFS‑NS) meeting last year, but Premier Tim Houston’s recent budget, which slashes over $20 million from post‑secondary education, has reignited momentum and intensified calls for change.
Students are demanding a 20% tuition cut, a single tuition rate for all students—including international students—and for universities to divest from companies linked to weapons production, fossil fuels, human rights violations, or resource projects on Indigenous land.
Students are reviving Quebec’s iconic red square strike symbolism. PHOTO BY NATALIE CHIASSON /Acadia Broadcasting
The event is inspired by Quebec’s 2012 student movement.
Organizers are reviving the iconic red square symbol with the slogan “Meet our demands or you’ll be squarely in the red.”
Owen Skeen, National Treasurer of the Canadian Federation of Students, explains that “students are squarely in the red. We’re paying for exorbitant tuition rates; we are taking out loans. We’re ending up in debt.”
He adds, the phrase also warns government: meet demands or face economic consequences from the strike.
Dalhousie student Leah Walter says, “Dalhousie has $28 million invested in fossil fuels and $207 million in Israel—yet they’re cutting minority programs.”
However, the school argues that current investments conflict with university values and come at a time when some programs face cuts and funding pressures.
Representatives say students from schools including Dalhousie University, Saint Mary’s University, the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD), King’s College and Acadia University will walk out to stand together.
NSCAD Student Union President Ziggy Kirch asks, “If we don’t fight for these things now, where are we going to draw the line?”
