Nurses taunt John Haggie during St. John's rally

The chanting of 300 nurses could not compelNewfoundland and Labrador'shealth minister to speak to an unhappy crowd on Monday afternoon.

Protesters taunted minister John Haggie, chanting his name, but were unable to make him appear at a nursing union protest at the Confederation Building steps in St. John's.

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Nurses from across Atlantic Canada took a break from a regional labourtraining conference held this week to hold the protest against the provincial budget.

It's the latest protest to take aim at the budget since the fiscal plan was laid out on April 14.

Nurses demonstrated against cuts to the four health boards, the closure of the Masonic Park nursing home in Mount Pearl, and clinic shutdowns across the province.

"You may be worried here on the Rock about the deficit you have today," said Heather Smith, the president of the United Nurses of Alberta.

"But when you start slashing health and education, you don't know the kind of deficit you are creating for the future citizens of this province."

Registered Nurses' Union presidentDebbie Forward urged the attendees to continue to speak out against the budget measures.