Was it a good or bad first budget for the provincial Conservatives?
Associate Professor of Politics at Mount Allison University Mario Levesque says it appears as though the Higgs government is trying to take credit for balancing the budget, “Really what it is, is because of the federal Liberal government. Transfers to New Brunswick have increased by almost $150 million dollars, and so we are able to balance out budget, and pay back some of the long term debt.”
He says one of the things that the Higgs government did do well, is forecasting growth in the economy over the next year, and limited spending. Levesque says it’s important that we balance the budget and lives within our means.
One of the things Levesque says was missing from the budget, was measures for immigration,”I know that is a federal matter, but what is a provincial matter here is the settlement options and the services that they have available for them. I think that is a key dynamic to help retain immigrants as newcomers.”
He believes they showed their true Conservative colours, with doing less for vulnerable populations, “They certainly do not appeal to women at all in here, by cutting the status of women’s council by half. That’s never a good thing. We have a lot of issues in here that are deep seeded in the province and need to be addressed.”
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