New Brunswick.

• Author: Del Frate, Alicia R.
• Position: Legislative Reports

Budget

The Second Session of the 59th Legislature adjourned on December 14 and resumed on March 19, when Finance Minister Ernie Steeves tabled the 2019-2020 budget. This is the first budget of the Progressive Conservative minority government, led by Premier Blaine Higgs.

"Today is about laying the foundation for a sustainable future," said Minister Steeves. New Brunswick's net debt is projected to decline for the first time in 13 years. The net debt is currently estimated at $14.1 billion and is expected to decline by $49 million.

The 2019-2020 budget is balanced with a surplus of $23 million and total spending of $9,823 billion. Revenues are projected to grow by 1.5 per cent, the budget limits spending growth to 1.3 per cent. The Department of Finance and Treasury Board now project the New Brunswick economy to expand by 0.6 per cent despite ongoing trade uncertainty, weaker growth among major international and domestic trading partners, and temporary weakness in the manufacturing sector contributing to slower growth in 2019.

Highlights of the Budget included no new tax increases, a $1 million funding increase to the Office of the Auditor General, the introduction of a new funding program to support community projects for Members of the Legislative Assembly, a $2.4 million investment to implement a new nursing human resource strategy, an additional $1 million to increase wages for trained early childhood educators, and over $16 million to increase wages for home support workers.

On March 21, Finance Critic Roger Melanson delivered the official Opposition's reply to the budget. Melanson argued that the government's approach to balancing the books was too aggressive, noting the previous Liberal government had recently achieved a surplus and intended to work towards balanced budgets in the future without affecting important social services. He suggested the Department of Social Development was incurring a $19 million reduction that would affect the most vulnerable New Brunswickers. He further noted the costs associated with the cancellation of numerous capital projects that had already started, such as the twinning of certain major highways and the construction of new court facilities.

Legislation

As of March 29, eight bills were introduced during the spring session, two of which received royal assent. Certain bills of note included:

Bill 11, An Act to Amend the Petroleum Products Pricing Act, introduced by Energy and Resource Development...