About 125 people attended the meeting including three candidates for the leadership of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party: MLA Stephen McNeil, MLA Diana Whalen and Colchester Mayor Mike Smith.
In his speech, Mr. Brison said:
"Stephen Harper bullies aboriginal Canadians.
He bullies farmers.
He bullies Canadians living in poverty.
He bullies the working poor.
He bullies have-not people and he bullies Atlantic Canada.
Mr. Harper doesn’t expect Atlantic Canadians to stand up to him.
I’ve got a message for Stephen Harper: Just because Peter MacKay backs down from you, don’t expect Nova Scotians to back down from you."
Stephen Harper's betrayal of Nova Scotians by effectively cancelling the 2005 Atlantic Accord was a key message in his remarks.
Mr. Brison said a budget should try to unite Canadians, not divide Canadians and he called it the most divisive budget in the history of Canada.
"Nova Scotian Conservative MPs will be left to explain to the voters why they chose to abandon the interests of our province and, in doing so, betrayed the future prosperity of the people of Nova Scotia," Mr. Brison said.
