Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 1 June 11, 2026 CONTENTS COLLABORATIVE CARE CLINICS Mr. Savoie Hon. Ms. Holt GOVERNMENT Mr. Savoie Hon. Ms. Holt Mr. Savoie Hon. Ms. Holt Mr. Savoie VIRTUAL CARE Hon. Ms. Holt Mr. Savoie Hon. Mr. Dornan GOVERNMENT Mr. Savoie Hon. Ms. Holt Mr. Savoie SENIORS Hon. Ms. Holt Mr. Austin

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 2 ENERGY Hon. Mr. Legacy Hon. Mr. Legacy Mr. Austin Hon. Mr. Legacy Mr. Austin Hon. Mr. Legacy Ms. Mitton Hon. Mr. LePage Ms. Mitton Hon. Mr. Legacy EDUCATION Mr. Lee Hon. C. Johnson Mr. Lee Hon. C. Johnson Mr. Lee Hon. C. Johnson GOVERNMENT Mr. Savoie Hon. Mr. Hickey

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 3 [Translation] COLLABORATIVE CARE CLINICS Mr. Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): I wish you a good afternoon, Madam Speaker. [Original] I’m going to start with the Premier just threatening to take away a member’s collaborative care clinic. Will the Premier stand up and admit to that? Hon. Ms.

Holt (Fredericton South-Silverwood, Premier; Minister responsible for Official Languages, L): Madam Speaker, it is quite surprising to hear a member who long lobbied to have a collaborative care clinic in her riding expressing dissatisfaction with the existence of investments in the collaborative care clinic. We are working very hard to make sure that we attach every single New Brunswicker to primary care, and we are making sure that we have relationships with the doctors and nurses who are now attracted to this model. So far, we have 16 of these clinics being set up and funded.

We have a very long list of communities that are looking to get access to the new doctors that we’re bringing in through the Practice Ready Assessment program, access to the nurses who are being attracted here, and access to the recruitment success we’ve had.

So, if the member opposite is not interested in seeing that clinic supported, we have a lot of people in this House who would love to see those physician resources brought to their community, places like Miramichi, which has some of the lowest levels of attachment, and Fredericton, which also has some of the lowest levels of attachment in this— [Translation] GOVERNMENT Mr. Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. [Original] That was shameful.

The failures of the Holt government continue to pile up: record levels of spending with no results, strategies that do nothing in the short term, a stagnant economy, zero growth in the past year, 2 200 full-time jobs lost, a health care system that continues to be in crisis, 40 000 people added to the primary health care wait list, an education system in crisis, worsening numeracy and literacy outcomes, an affordability crisis, and inflationary pressures that mean people pay more for gas, groceries, and everything else.

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 4 Yet, day after day, the official opposition brings these facts forward, and the Holt government offers nothing but empty words, toxic positivity, disconnected talking points, no responsibility taken, a weak Premier too entitled to answer questions—failure upon failure. Which of the facts laid before her does the Premier wish to deny first? [Translation] Hon. Ms. Holt (Fredericton South-Silverwood, Premier; Minister responsible for Official Languages, L): Thank you very much, Madam Speaker.

I am grateful for the opportunity to talk about the many files that the opposition member mentioned. First, I’m going to talk about access to the health care system, which is a priority file for New Brunswickers. Our government has successfully maintained good relationships with our health care professionals. That’s quite the opposite of what happened during the six years of inaction from the previous government. We have successfully recruited the largest number of family doctors and specialists in the history of our province. The province has 67 new doctors.

Some doctors have retired, but we have recruited others. We signed a new agreement with the New Brunswick Medical Society, which will facilitate our recruitment efforts. We have created new clinics, and we have ensured that over 18 000 patients have been taken on by primary care providers. We reached an agreement with nurses. The former government didn’t succeed in doing that. We reached a wonderful agreement with teachers. We have good relationships with our unions and… [Original] Mr. Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): Thank you, Madam Speaker.

That rear-view mirror I bought her is on its way. Balanced books—failure. Health care—failure. Affordability—failure. Improved education—failure. A strong economy—failure. The Holt government is failing on all the things its members campaigned on. Which of the facts I presented in the previous question would the Premier like to deny? Is it the stagnant economy, the 40 000 people added to the patient wait list, the worsening education outcomes, or the worsening affordability? Go ahead. Pick a topic, and deny, deny, deny, deflect, deflect, deflect. The Premier won’t answer. She doesn’t want to be held accountable.

Someone else will get up. We already know the

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 5 talking points. No matter what they say, it will serve to defeat them. Their answers will show their disdain for the Legislature and the people they were elected to serve. Please, Premier, fall into the trap set before you, the trap you’ve created and the trap that springs every time you or one of your ministers open your mouths. Thank you, Madam Speaker. Hon. Ms.

Holt (Fredericton South-Silverwood, Premier; Minister responsible for Official Languages, L): Madam Speaker, given the nature of the attempted question from the interim leader, who has two days left to go, I’m going to focus on the economy in this response. New Brunswickers are also quite concerned about the cost of living. They’re quite concerned about how expensive life has become in this province after years of increases to their bills. Increases like 9% happened time and time again over the mandate of the former government.

Their six years of inaction meant that our government had to come in and deliver a 10% rebate on people’s power bills as quickly as possible. Our government put a rent cap in place, while the previous government removed one. Now, we have a property tax system designed so that, when people’s assessments go up, their rates come down, and that means New Brunswickers will get the benefit of a property tax system that recognizes that they can’t afford to pay more.

Our government is working every day to make sure our economy has what it needs to deliver well-paying jobs and that New Brunswickers are being given relief by a government that cares, not one that didn’t choose to act. Mr. Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): Thirteen points down in the polls, Madam Speaker—there’s a fact. Does anyone on the government side believe that answer does anything to help New Brunswickers?

A legitimate question that held the government to account was asked, and that is what came back—an answer that did not reach the level of respect the people who voted for you deserve. A direct question deserves a direct answer, one that actually answers the question asked. VIRTUAL CARE Let’s try this one. It’s been widely reported that the Premier must have known that the licenced practical nurses currently working for eVisitNB would receive less money, about half, with the new Foundever contract. Either she knew and signed it anyway, or she was uninformed and unaware. Premier, which one is it?

That’s a direct question. Here’s the prediction. The Premier will sit in her seat laughing at something on her phone, acting disinterested, and won’t get up. Her Minister of Health will get up and still won’t answer the question. Let’s see which option they choose to disrespect New Brunswickers with. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 6 Hon. Ms. Holt (Fredericton South-Silverwood, Premier; Minister responsible for Official Languages, L): Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. I appreciate the opportunity to talk about the improvements that our government is making to virtual care in New Brunswick.

I have a hunch that the member opposite understands that the details of commercial relationships between employers and their employees are not the kind of information that the government digs into as we work through the process of requests for proposals. Those RFPs actually saw 11 different companies apply and be evaluated. We scored those applications and chose the company that performed the highest, a company that has been serving New Brunswickers for 28 years with Tele-Care 811 services, with local New Brunswick nurses taking care of us.

I just want to take an opportunity to quote the members of the New Brunswick Medical Society, who said today that they are very pleased that the government has followed through on its commitment to include triage in the provincial virtual care system. They said: Virtual Care NB should…improve patient safety and continuity of care by ensuring that the right provider is used at the right time to best meet patient needs. Our government is investing in improving— Mr.

Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): The government should be listening to the LPNs who are not going to be able to work under Foundever. There you have it, Madam Speaker. Government members are the best tool we have for getting them out of here. Mind you, the tool is not very useful, is limited in its use, costs way too much, was poorly designed, and fails every time you use it. It’s like one of those as-seen- on-TV tools that promise a lot but are never as advertised. You know the ad: it’s like having 31 tools in one. You knew you were paying too much, but you bought it anyway.

It was so shiny and full of radical transparency. Surely that commercial on TV wouldn’t lie to you. But the tool immediately breaks, and it was never what it promised to be. It sits in your toolbox on a shelf as a pricey reminder that you paid too much and that the tool just wasn’t worth it. Let’s see which tool gets hauled out to answer this question. Was it known that the licenced practical nurses would be paid less under Foundever, yes or no? Hon. Mr. Dornan (Saint John Portland-Simonds, Minister of Health, L): Madam Speaker, I think the member is mistaken.

Licenced practical nurses are not working for Virtual Care NB. It’s nurse practitioners, so I think the question is about them. The nurse practitioners are working under a contract that we don’t control, as long as the successful applicant provides the service. I’d like to remind you that the nurse practitioners who are working

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 7 under MyHealthNB will be paid the same amount as nurse practitioners who were working with the prior provider three or four months ago. That hasn’t changed. Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. GOVERNMENT Mr. Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): At least the minister actually talked about the right nurses this time. We’ve paid $2.73 billion so far for that answer. It’s not as advertised, Madam Speaker—not as advertised.

I would love to see an ad that says: We want to be your government. We’re going to spend more than generations that come after you will ever be able to pay. We’re not going to get better for it, but we’ll continue to spend, spend, spend. We will spend record amounts on health care but add 40 000 people to the wait list. We will make affordability worse for you. We will lose 2 200 jobs, have a stagnant economy, and sign bad contracts that pay people less and cause job losses. We will insult and fire librarians twice because, well, everyone knew that was coming.

We will try to replace public health nurses with LPNs and pretend we didn’t know anything about it. We will put out strategy after strategy that do nothing in the short term. We will promise to give more to seniors in our nursing homes, but only once we’ve spent every single dollar on something else first. Premier, would you buy that? [Translation] Hon. Ms.

Holt (Fredericton South-Silverwood, Premier; Minister responsible for Official Languages, L): Madam Speaker, I think it’s incredible that the opposition member is giving us the opportunity to talk about so many things, including plans our government has made because New Brunswickers are asking for them. They are asking for accountability. They are asking for a government like ours, which reveals its objectives and its work toward them, takes action every year, and clearly demonstrates progress. I will describe some of the progress that has been made in the health care system, Madam Speaker.

Thanks to the recruitment we’ve done and the new contract we signed with nurses and doctors, we have seen enhanced access to family doctors here in New Brunswick, with the rate of access to a doctor within five days increasing by more than 3%, from 31% to 34%. That is real progress. We will also point out that our government has signed collective agreements with every union it negotiated with and did so with respect. [Original] Mr. Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): Talk to librarians.

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 8 SENIORS The failure to help seniors is the most egregious. This Premier literally qualified that the government will only do something in terms of direct care for seniors if there is the financial capacity to do so. These were the Premier’s own words. In her glossy, jargon-filled, vague, and heavily qualified strategy, with fine print on almost every page, the Premier said one thing: that care for seniors must be “person-centred” . Let’s get this straight.

The Holt government set a target to keep the situation of seniors waiting for placement from getting worse, put out a strategy that literally says it will put seniors at the centre of everything, yet reneged on the promise to increase the comfort and clothing allowance, and the Premier said publicly, in an interview, that the government will only increase direct hours of care when it is financially able to do so. Premier, tell all the seniors and their families that you’re sorry, that you’re not as advertised, and that you’re failing them. Thank you, Madam Speaker. Hon. Ms.

Holt (Fredericton South-Silverwood, Premier; Minister responsible for Official Languages, L): Madam Speaker, I’m glad to have the opportunity to talk about the work that my colleague, the Minister of Seniors, has done with a full portfolio as a minister. We recognize the importance of seniors in this province, and we recognize that there is a lot of work to do after six years of inaction by the previous government. Our government has actually increased the budgeted amount and increased hours of care. We’ve also moved rapidly to get 240 new long-term care beds built under this strategy.

So we have increased the hours of care, and we have more beds built for seniors. We also have partnerships across the sector because we recognize the needs of people who want to stay at home and the need for support to people like personal support workers and home care workers. We negotiated an excellent new contract with the workers of the nursing homes. We did it in record time so that nursing home workers would see the kind of compensation increases they deserve. This government is focused on making sure that seniors aren’t waiting in hospitals and that they get the care they deserve— Mr.

Austin (Fredericton-Grand Lake, PC): Thank you, Madam Speaker. I hope this question doesn’t cause me to lose the jail in Grand Lake. ENERGY According to the AG report on the RIGS project, the analysis of alternatives to combustion technology was completed after the tolling agreement was signed. Basically, NB Power signed a deal with ProEnergy and then did an analysis on whether there were other options. It seems that NB Power took a strategy right out of the Premier’s playbook: Make

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 9 the decision then analyze. If you don’t believe me, just ask the farmers or the librarians. onsidering the AG report, can the Minister of Energy please tell the people of New Brunswick what he’s going to do with what he learned from the backward process of NB Power that the AG has made completely public? Hon. Mr.

Legacy (Bathurst, Deputy Premier; Minister of Finance and Treasury Board; Minister of Energy; Minister responsible for the Right to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, L): Thank you, Madam Speaker, and thank you to the member opposite for bringing this up in the Legislature. Here’s an interesting fact, because this has been discussed a couple of times with regard to the RIGS project. When that process was done, it was the previous government that was there. Remember that. You were there for the process. That question was asked before by the opposition leader—the interim leader, sorry. How were we deciding?

What was the strategy? The former government members were sitting there, and we weren’t. That’s what happened. The comprehensive review was clear about this. The reviewers came back and said that NB Power needs to tighten up its governance and its processes. NB Power’s executives were well aware of this, and they had this conversation again this morning. They said they need to do better, which is exactly what’s going to happen. We’re working on it and probably cleaning up another mess from six years of inaction by the previous government. (Interjections.) Hon. Mr.

Legacy (Bathurst, Deputy Premier; Minister of Finance and Treasury Board; Minister of Energy; Minister responsible for the Right to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, L): That’s right. You need to own those six years of nothing. I haven’t heard anything else. Mr. Austin (Fredericton-Grand Lake, PC): Madam Speaker, I know there were six years of balanced budgets and increases for every department. The Liberals can’t handle it. What else can they say when they have a $6-billion deficit? Madam Speaker, we know that NB Power significantly underestimated the budget for the RIGS project.

I remember when the Premier said back in 2024, during the campaign, that she was going to balance the books. Then, in her government’s first year, she said: Well, we might be looking at a $549-million deficit. The reality was a $1.3-billion deficit in this government’s first year alone. According to the Auditor General, NB Power is following suit with an over $700-million price tag that wasn’t disclosed. Can the Minister of Finance and Energy do two things? First,

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 10 please stop giving NB Power any more budgeting advice. Second, will you lift the moratorium on natural gas so we can finally have some cheap energy in this province? Hon. Mr. Legacy (Bathurst, Deputy Premier; Minister of Finance and Treasury Board; Minister of Energy; Minister responsible for the Right to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, L): Madam Speaker, thank you for the chance to answer the question.

The reality is that NB Power is in this situation right now because of a very clear directive from the previous government. It was one letter that stated: Fix your debt ratio by 2027, and we don’t want to know how that could impact anybody in the province. The previous government members then found out that New Brunswickers would have to pay for that, so they wrote a second letter. They realized their mistake, so they wrote: We’re not going to change our thinking. We’re just going to change the date to 2029. Those letters resulted in two 9% rate hikes for New Brunswickers.

The previous government members are the ones who have to own that. It is because of interference from the previous government. That’s getting involved. That’s really good decision-making. That’s the really strategic thinking that New Brunswickers are still paying for. We’re trying to fix it by giving a 10% rebate. The opposition members aren’t happy about that. If you don’t like the way we’re fixing your mess, just stay quiet about it. Mr.

Austin (Fredericton-Grand Lake, PC): Madam Speaker, it’s a beautiful thing to see how oblivious the Minister of Energy is to the fact that NB Power has the highest debt-to-equity ratio of any utility in the country. When we tried to get it under control, the Liberals criticized us for it. No wonder they know they’ll have a $6-billion deficit by the end of their term. Madam Speaker, again, it’s right from the Holt playbook. The Premier plans to cut the public vet service for farmers with no backup plan, when the private sector cannot meet the needs.

She’s running historic deficits for the course of her term with no backup plan for when the money runs out, and it will run out. In relation to NB Power, the Auditor General pointed out that the utility had no backup plan when it came to the RIGS project. Madam Speaker, again, with NB Power having the highest debt-to-equity ratio of any utility in the country, with it having aging infrastructure, and with the looming Mactaquac Dam refurbishment that could cost as much as $10 billion, what is this Premier going to do to save the utility, considering her own failures— Hon. Mr.

Legacy (Bathurst, Deputy Premier; Minister of Finance and Treasury Board; Minister of Energy; Minister responsible for the Right to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, L): Thank you, Madam Speaker. We just heard from the member that the

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 11 previous government had a strategy to fix NB Power’s debt-to-equity ratio. Those members wrote two lines on a piece of paper and realized that people were going to have to pay significant amounts for this. There was no consideration at all. We’re heard all about affordability for so many weeks. Why does energy cost so much? That’s the reason. Here’s something else we found. Here’s a little detail that the opposition members have forgotten.

Remember the home energy rebate program that helped 33 000 homes pay for electricity every year? Some 33 000 homes were impacted. That energy program was eliminated by the previous government, in the midst of those years of big budget surpluses, as a cost-cutting initiative. Why? It was because the bottom line was a lot more important than how New Brunswickers were impacted. (Interjections.) Madam Speaker (Hon. Ms. Landry): Members. Ms. Mitton (Tantramar, G): Madam Speaker, the Premier likes to say she is listening. Will she listen to these doctors?

In March, 331 physicians at the Dumont hospital wrote an open letter to express their disagreement with NB Power’s proposed diesel and gas plant in Centre Village due to the well-documented effects that these facilities have on human health. Considering the recent Auditor General report, these doctors are now calling on the government to commission an objective review of the available options, which include renewable energy, energy storage, energy efficiency, demand side management, and any other relevant solutions.

This week, medical staff at the Sackville Memorial Hospital also called for the Tantramar gas plant project to be terminated due to its negative effects on human health and climate change. Will the Premier commission an independent study of the alternative options, which include demand response and battery storage-backed renewables, in place of the diesel and gas plant? [Translation] Hon. Mr. LePage (Restigouche West, Minister of Environment and Climate Change; Minister responsible for the Regional Development Corporation, L): Thank you, Madam Speaker. I also thank the opposition member.

First, we certainly hear the recommendations, suggestions, and complaints from the public. Believe me, they will all be considered during the environmental impact assessment before a decision is made. No decision on projects will be made without a thorough environmental impact assessment by experts in the field at the provincial and national levels. Then we will make a decision based on scientific data and all the comments we have received. Thank you.

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 12 [Original] Ms. Mitton (Tantramar, G): Madam Speaker, I would really like to hear the Premier speak about this. She said that she had lots of questions about this. I would hope that the Auditor General’s report has raised more questions. The Auditor General found that NB Power’s decision to contract an American company to build this diesel and gas plant in Tantramar was made prior to doing a comprehensive analysis of whether it was the best option.

This week, a report filed in Nova Scotia as part of the utility’s integrated resource plan detailed the real cost of batteries. It showed that, contrary to the Premier’s assertion that batteries would cost $10 billion, a four-hour 1 000 MW battery would cost $2.5 billion. That’s $1 billion less than the $3.5 billion that the diesel and gas plant will cost. I will ask again: Will the Premier commission an independent study of the alternative options, which include demand side response and battery storage-backed renewables, in place of the diesel and gas plant? Hon. Mr.

Legacy (Bathurst, Deputy Premier; Minister of Finance and Treasury Board; Minister of Energy; Minister responsible for the Right to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, L): Thank you, Madam Speaker. Thank you to the member opposite. As we have often said, this is not an “either-or” situation or discussion. It is an “and” discussion. Both the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board and the regulator in Nova Scotia were very clear about this project. They said that batteries would not provide the same benefits that the RIGS project will provide.

Two regulators have now looked at this and said that the current situation proposed is the best for New Brunswickers in terms of efficiency and energy security. That is what is happening with the RIGS project. We still believe very strongly in batteries. That’s why NB Power has put out an RFP for 50 MW. It continues to look at that technology and build upon it. We are looking at “and”—both—solutions. EDUCATION Mr. Lee (Fundy-The Isles-Saint John Lorneville, PC): Thank you, Madam Speaker. I’m addressing the Minister of Education.

Minister, your government unveiled a sweeping 12- year education strategy promising strong basics and bright futures, yet New Brunswick parents have heard ambitious education promises before. CBC and Global News both reported that, despite the glossy announcements, many of the measurable targets only cover the first three years. Meanwhile, in schools, literacy and numeracy scores remain deeply concerning right now, and your own officials have admitted that outcomes will simply be adjusted if goals are not met.

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 13 Parents don’t want another cycle of reports, consultations, or vague accountability. My question to the Minister of Education is this: If schools and students are not reaching literacy and numeracy targets by next June, will you, as the minister who launched this 12- year education plan, take personal responsibility? Hon. C.

Johnson (Moncton South, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development, L): Thank you, Madam Speaker, and thank you to the member opposite.It’s wonderful to get to talk about the education plan that we launched this week. The plan is really great because it does two things that are really important. It dictates the framework and the vision for education for the next number of years. However, we can’t wait that long to check on whether it is working. So, within the plan, there are specific action plans that will look at whether we are meeting the targets in the short term.

To answer the question, we will absolutely take responsibility for that. That is why we have the action plans. When we are doing it well… We know. We have invested in resource teachers, academic support teachers, and educational assistants to make sure the resources are close to the students and to focus on literacy and numeracy. Then, we will check whether the strategy works, and if it does, then yay to us. If it doesn’t, then we will adjust and correct. That’s what accountability looks like. Thank you. Mr. Lee (Fundy-The Isles-Saint John Lorneville, PC): Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Minister, it’s been reported that the Premier told reporters that schools may now need to reduce activities like guest speakers and field trips to protect classroom time. Meanwhile, the education plan emphasizes well-being and engagement. Teachers and parents have raised concerns that children are already disengaged, struggling socially, and losing opportunities for experiential learning. My question is this: What evidence does your department have that cutting enrichment opportunities will actually improve student outcomes instead of creating a narrower, more disconnected school experience? [Translation] Hon. C.

Johnson (Moncton South, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development, L): Thank you, Madam Speaker. Thank you to the member opposite for again giving me the opportunity to talk about the way we will improve our literacy and numeracy outcomes. The member is right. In the education plan, we said we wanted time to be dedicated to these activities because we know they are important and essential to education. That doesn’t mean we won’t have the opportunity to provide other types of activities either. We want to organize other types of activities as well, but we want time to be reserved for

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 14 targeted and enriching activities that will produce—we know this—the desired literacy and numeracy outcomes so that we can celebrate our great improvements through the action plans and the education plan. Thank you, Madam Speaker. [Original] Mr. Lee (Fundy-The Isles-Saint John Lorneville, PC): Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Minister, after months of discussion about literacy decline—as was recently highlighted in the Auditor General’s report—behavioural challenges, staff shortages, a lunch program that is so delayed that it’s looking like a midnight snack, a government that reserved librarians and reshelved them in the history section, and confusion about artificial intelligence in schools, many families are heading into summer less confident about the direction of public education in New Brunswick rather than more.

My question is this: Given all of these issues, what reassurances can you provide to students and parents that your plans for students next year will be any better? Hon. C. Johnson (Moncton South, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development, L): Thank you, Madam Speaker, and thank you to the member opposite for the opportunity to share all the wonderful things that we are hearing from the prototype schools about the lunch program. This is happening in 25 schools within the province, and we are getting such good feedback on it.

Families are really happy to get that extra support at school, and they are relieved that they don’t need to think about what students will have for lunch that day, or for breakfast, for that matter, because we also have universal free breakfast for people who need it. Students are also really happy about it. They’re trying new foods, and they’re discovering vegetarian meals and foods they haven’t necessarily tried at home. That’s part of this beautiful program as well.

In addition to an increased sense of belonging, students love sharing these meals together at school, and it actually makes them want to be at school more. It’s a really great program, and I love talking about it. Thank you, Madam Speaker. GOVERNMENT Mr. Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. There you’ve seen it. Direct questions were asked, and the prediction was that the response would be spinning and deflection. I think the Minister of Finance must have a sore neck from looking behind him so much. All you see from this government is deflection.

It is not taking any responsibility. We see this every single day.

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 15 This is a government that said it would run on data. Well, we’re seeing the data and seeing the reality happening every single day to New Brunswickers as a result of the actions taken by this government. However, we don’t see this government recognizing it whatsoever. The government is still living out in la-la land somewhere. Here is some data that the Premier can’t refute: There has been a 13% drop in the polls, which is the largest drop in the country.

Since she doesn’t like to take any responsibility, maybe she would like to answer this question: Which one of her Cabinet ministers is she going to fire and hold responsible for her drop in the polls? Who will we see in Cabinet when we come back after the summer? Hon. Mr. Hickey (Saint John Harbour , Minister responsible for the New Brunswick Housing Corporation, L): Madam Speaker, I did not know that I could fall asleep in one minute. I want to thank the Leader of the Opposition for just proving it.

It has been abundantly clear that this government has a willingness to take action—and to do so swiftly—in the face of an affordability crisis that was started by the previous government. This is rich. It’s as though members opposite are standing in this House and complaining about an affordability crisis they started while holding the lighter fluid that started it. We are responding with the urgency it deserves. We implemented a rent cap as one of our first actions. We reduced electricity rates by 10%. We shifted gas to E10 to make it more affordable for New Brunswick families.

We have a Premier who is the fourth-most popular Premier in the country. We are standing behind her. We are one hundred percent committed to delivering on affordability for New Brunswickers, and we are going to keep doing it. (Interjections.) Madam Speaker (Hon. Ms. Landry): Members, question period has expired.