Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 1 May 27, 2026 / Le 27 mai 2026 CONTENTS / TABLE DES MATIÈRES COST OF LIVING Mr. Savoie Hon. Mr. Legacy Mr. Savoie Hon. Mr. Legacy Mr. Savoie Hon. Ms. Miles Mr. Savoie Hon. Mr. Legacy Mr. Savoie Hon. Ms. Thériault Mr. Savoie Hon. Mr. D’Amours Mr. Savoie Hon. Mr. Hickey

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 2 YOUTH Ms. M. Johnson Hon. Ms. Miles Ms. M. Johnson Hon. Ms. Miles Ms. M. Johnson Hon. Ms. Miles CHILD PROTECTION Ms. Mitton Hon. C. Johnson Ms. Mitton Hon. C. Johnson Ms. Mitton Hon. C. Johnson NB POWER Mr. Austin Hon. Mr. Legacy Mr. Austin Hon. Mr. Legacy

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 3 [Translation] COST OF LIVING Mr. Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): Good morning, Madam Speaker. [Original] Madam Speaker, yesterday I asked questions of the Premier, questions concerning the cost of fuel for New Brunswickers. Instead of the Premier getting up to answer the questions, the Finance Minister got up.

Keep in mind, Madam Speaker, that the worst Finance Minister in the history of this province, who has absolutely no credibility, tried to take shots at the former government’s fiscal track record rather than actually addressing the issues that his government is responsible for. I remind the worst Finance Minister in the history of this province that these are issues that his Premier promised to address.

How is it that, if everything is going so well according to the government members’ talking points, our young people are paying thousands of dollars per month to fuel their vehicles to go to work but cannot afford an apartment or to buy a house? Can the Premier explain to people who are falling even further behind financially that the Holt government’s affordability measures are helping them? Thank you, Madam Speaker. 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. As mentioned yesterday, we did take action to reduce gas prices for New Brunswickers. We did it as quickly as we could in December, when we found out about E10 gas pricing, which the previous government members probably didn’t even know about because they didn’t research it enough. I’ll take the bite. The member opposite keeps bringing up “the worst Finance Minister ever” and credibility.

I wonder whether he looked at the last poll, in which 30% said his performance was not very good, and 48% didn’t even have an opinion. They didn’t even have a good opinion or a bad opinion about him. I would suggest that maybe he should ask better questions. Mr. Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): I have to thank the Finance Minister, Madam Speaker, because every time he opens his mouth, he makes things worse for his own government. Keep going.

Based on how he answers questions, the best thing he could do is stand up and say absolutely nothing, because that would have exactly the same effect on New Brunswickers. Let’s give the Premier another chance to address New Brunswickers who are not feeling any relief due to this government’s broken promises and inability to govern. Let’s listen to Jaren’s story. Jaren is a heavy equipment operator for a West Side mill in the city of Saint

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 4 John. He lives at home because he cannot afford a house. Jaren pays about $400 per week in fuel to travel from one side of Saint John to the other and back. He is in his early 20s and has just started a family, having welcomed his first child into the world. How can the Premier continue her disconnected talking points and convince a young man who just had a baby, who cannot afford to buy a house, and who pays $1 600 in fuel per month, that his life is better under the Holt government? 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, when we got in, this government immediately reduced every New Brunswickers’ power bill by 10%. We did that as quickly as we could. We instituted a rent cap so that people could have access to rent, something the previous government wouldn’t even look at. It actually fought against that multiple times. We took the HST off multiunit housing so that entrepreneurs could build it more quickly.

We now have record construction happening in this province, which will ensure that more homes are available at the right price. We instituted a property assessment freeze so that homeowners wouldn’t see a continued rise while we do the work of fixing what was going on there. We instituted a breakfast program in schools so that families who had a hard time feeding their kids would have a program available. We’ve done all these things in less than two years. I would like to put that record up against what was done before, which was just saying: We balanced the books. That’s it. Mr.

Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): I would invite the worst Finance Minister in the history of this province to call an election, then. We will see how New Brunswickers feel about what this government has done for them. Madam Speaker, this government, by the end of this fiscal year, will have overspent its own budget by $3 billion, and people are not feeling any positive results. I just referred to Jaren, and the Finance Minister did not even have the courtesy of addressing the difficult position that Jaren is in.

Jaren lives at home with his parents because he cannot afford to be out on his own. He has just become a new dad, and he is spending over $1 600 per month on fuel just to go to work. Forget about clothing, diapers, and food for the baby. Forget about everything a newborn needs in order to survive. All these things are costing more as well. This government could have an immediate impact by cutting taxes on fuel immediately. If I may quote the now Premier from when she was the Leader of the Official Opposition, it could be done with the stroke of a pen.

Will the Premier dig out her pen and lower taxes now, yes or no? Hon. Ms. Miles (Hanwell-New Maryland, Minister of Social Development; Minister responsible for the Economic and Social Inclusion Corporation, L): Madam Speaker, through you to the member opposite, we recognize that New Brunswickers are struggling. We knew this the minute that we stepped into office. There is no doubt about that. We knew the

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 5 challenges that New Brunswickers were facing. That is why we instituted the 3% rent cap that wasn’t in place before. That is why we used the E10 for gas in December. That is why we implemented the breakfast program, which puts roughly $800 back into the pockets of the average family. We’re still not doing enough. We know that. We have more to do.

That’s why we’re bringing in an affordability framework that looks at all government policies and programs to see who is being impacted by them and what more we can do to support folks. That hadn’t been done before. New Brunswickers need us to stand up for them right now. Not everyone experiences affordability in the same way. Jaren has different circumstances than other New Brunswickers. We are doing everything we can to make sure that every New Brunswicker has the opportunity to— Mr.

Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): The same talking points coming from a different person are still the same talking points, Madam Speaker, and they do not impact New Brunswickers. Here’s what everyone who’s watching question period this morning is seeing. These government members would rather give inane, empty responses to serious questions about our province’s own citizens than acknowledge the issues and commit to addressing them the way they promised to in their campaign.

The reality is that, if the government members had kept their very first promise, which was to balance the books each and every year of the mandate, and which the worst Finance Minister in history has failed to do, they would have the financial capacity to make the decision with the stroke of a pen, as the Premier likes to say, to reduce or eliminate fuel taxes for New Brunswickers who are falling further behind right now.

I wonder whether the Premier or the worst Finance Minister in history would like to sit down with Jaren, maybe buy him a coffee because they’re doing nothing for him, and understand what it’s like to pay so much in gas that he struggles to provide for his newborn baby. Thank you, Madam Speaker. 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, as we’ve seen in the past couple of weeks, the opposition members take every opportunity to talk about overspending.

In their comments, in their introductions, and every time they talk about bills, that’s always brought up, but it isn’t brought up in question period. The opposition members just had a month in budget estimates where, to borrow one of their phrases, they had a chance to look under the hood. Now is the time. Now is the time for all these critics to ask questions to all these ministers about what they feel was overspent on so that we can have an honest debate. Why don’t they do it? Why don’t they ask specific questions?

If there is something that this government has spent money on to help out New Brunswickers, something it has done with money, the opposition members should argue the points right now. We’re not hearing that. We’re hearing general platitudes and general comments, and the opposition members are not bringing about anything. The only thing we’ve heard the opposition members argue is

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 6 that when we’ve made strategic efforts to actually curb the deficit, they want us to spend more. It makes no sense. Let’s have a debate. Ask honest questions. Mr. Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): How about amusement rides in Toronto, $18 hotdogs, and spending $3 billion and getting no positive results? We have Josh, Madam Speaker, who works in the forestry industry as a driver but also works in his family’s transport truck business.

This business spends over $5 000 per week on fuel for the transport truck, which equates to over half of the company’s income for that week. This does not even include the other costs associated with driving a transport truck. Josh also spends over $300 per week on the work pickup in order to fulfill all the duties of his job. Josh also still lives at home because he cannot afford to be out on his own. Here is another example of someone who works in industry, has professional designations, and still cannot afford to live on their own. This government is failing Josh. His skills are transferable.

What does the Premier have to say to convince Josh that staying home is— [Translation] Hon. Ms. Thériault (Caraquet, Minister of Tourism, Heritage and Culture, L) : Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would just like to weigh in on the hot dogs the official opposition members like to discuss, because, obviously, they aren’t capable of discussing tourism strategies. They would rather talk about hot dogs. They talk to us about our trip to the Blue Jays match, but it wasn’t a trip for pleasure. Thirteen employees went to work in 13 kiosks to serve 42 000 people.

Can they tell us how much it cost to send their 35 staff members to the World Junior Ice Hockey Championship for three weeks or 24 employees to the Guns N’ Roses concert? How much did that cost? Anyway, the travel of the 13 employees who went to work at the Blue Jays match didn’t cost much more than the week of vacation the previous Minister of Tourism, Heritage and Culture treated herself to in Europe. [Original] Mr. Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): Thank you, Madam Speaker. I will continue to advocate for the New Brunswickers that this government is leaving behind.

The government members are not answering anything about any of the people I’ve asked about today or yesterday. Madam Speaker, I highly doubt that the Premier or the worst Finance Minister in the history of this province could even recall the names of the people I’ve been talking about for the past two days, people whose lives are at an absolute standstill because of the failure of the Holt government to make their lives more affordable. These government members promised to balance the books in all four years, and they promised affordability for their people, Madam Speaker. They are failing on both.

Just give us the number. These government members can’t give accurate numbers on lists, but I bet they know exactly how much extra money they are grubbing out of New Brunswickers’ pockets. By the way, it’s Carter, Josh, Jaren, and Will. These are all people that you’re failing. Get up and talk about them.

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 7 [Translation] Hon. Mr. D’Amours (Edmundston—Vallée-des-Rivières, Minister of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour; Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs; Minister responsible for Immigration; Minister responsible for Military Affairs; Minister responsible for the Research and Productivity Council, L): Minister responsible for Military Affairs; Minister responsible for the Research and Productivity Council, L): Thank you very much, Madam Speaker.

Again, I’m very pleased to talk again about our action last week. We announced a great collaboration with Helmets to Hardhats, a Canada-wide organization that helps soldiers, senior cadets, and veterans, as well as their families, enter the job market and transition to skilled trades. This is a great move we have made and a wonderful collaboration. It ensures that skilled trades have their place, an important one. Madam Speaker, the Leader of the Official Opposition can talk about Josh, Jerry, and all the others.

However, with regard to the cost of housing, can he explain to Josh and Jerry why the members opposite let the price of housing rise by 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 30%, or even 35% in some cases? The Leader of the Official Opposition should take a look in the mirror before blaming others, Madam Speaker. [Original] Mr. Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): If you can’t say it better, say it louder, Madam Speaker. Our job is to hold government members to account for what they promised. People are suffering now because this government is not doing what it promised.

The members opposite can get up and try to deflect. They get the names wrong because they can’t even figure out who they are. There’s Hansard, so they could learn these people’s names. Government members don’t even know because they don’t care. They think they can get up and do whatever they want because they have a mandate. People in this province are hurting right now. People are falling behind.

Government members can’t even tell you how many people are on a wait list, but I bet you the Finance Minister knows exactly how many millions of extra dollars his government is getting on the backs of New Brunswickers because of the windfall in gas tax. Will the minister get up and tell the people how many millions of dollars this government is getting from this gas tax windfall? Hon. Mr. Hickey (Saint John Harbour , Minister responsible for the New Brunswick Housing Corporation, L): Thank you, Madam Speaker. If the Leader of the Opposition wants an election, let’s do it.

I have 37 votes to make up on the east side of Saint John. Let’s be clear about affordability. Let’s be clear about affordability for the New Brunswickers who have been desperate for it. This was the situation when we took office. That’s why we put in a 3% rent cap, protecting 33 000 New Brunswick families with lower and sustainable rents. That’s why we introduced a 10% rebate on electricity so we could

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 8 deliver affordability directly to New Brunswick ratepayers. That’s why we stepped up on E10 pricing to make gas cheaper in this province. We know that the affordability crisis is gripping New Brunswickers. That’s why we’ve laid out a clear vision to deliver on that affordability for them. We know what the opposition would do. The PC leadership front-runner is advocating for an increase—an increase—in energy pricing in this province. That’s exactly the way the PCs want it.

They left it like this, and they want to— YOUTH Ms. M. Johnson (Carleton-Victoria, PC): Thank you, Madam Speaker. The Minister of Social Development’s response to the Advocate’s report yesterday contained many compassionate words about listening to vulnerable youth, moving faster, and building a more responsive system. However, the report makes it clear that, for many young people, those words have not yet been translated into reality. The Advocate documented moments of crisis where young people felt unheard inside the very systems designed to protect them.

The minister herself has admitted that these children are too often forced to prove they are unsafe enough or traumatized enough before help can arrive. Madam Speaker, acknowledging the problem is important, but we need to know when concrete accountability mechanisms will follow. Compassionate language alone will not rebuild confidence. My question to the minister is: If the government truly accepts the findings of this report, what accountability mechanisms will the minister put in place to ensure vulnerable populations can access help before they reach the point of crisis?

Will she commit to striking an all-party committee to address these systemic challenges? Hon. Ms. Miles (Hanwell-New Maryland, Minister of Social Development; Minister responsible for the Economic and Social Inclusion Corporation, L): Madam Speaker, through you to the member opposite, you’re right. While words of compassion and empathy go a long way, they are not enough. We need action. I am grateful for the Advocate’s report. As I’ve said before, too often, young folks, vulnerable New Brunswickers… Their conversations are often held in the dark. Their stories aren’t shared.

That is where compassion and empathy do come in, and that’s why I’m grateful for these reports. The member opposite asked: What actions are we going to take? Work has already been going on. Specific to the question the member opposite asked… There are a couple of questions there, so I’m going to answer one of them. I know she’s going to get me to answer the second one too. Will we strike an all-party legislative committee? I want the opportunity to sit down and make sure that an all-party legislative committee is the most efficient and fastest way to go. I would be happy to sit down with the members opposite

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 9 and our colleagues to have that conversation with them. Does something already exist that would enable us to take action through another committee or an advisory— Ms. M. Johnson (Carleton-Victoria, PC): Well, Madam Speaker, the minister has spoken about empowering front-line staff and creating a more trauma-informed system. I think we all agree that front-line workers deserve support and respect for the difficult work they do every day. However, this report raises an important question.

If front-line workers are operating inside systems that were not designed to respond to trauma effectively, why is it taking the government so long to address systemic failures? For years, advocates, families, and community organizations have warned about gaps in service. Young people can’t afford a system that only reacts after another troubling report is released. I know this report was like a punch to the gut to the minister. I know she has invested a lifetime in supporting youth in care and vulnerable youth. I would like to know this: Will the minister make a commitment?

With her extensive background in working with vulnerable youth, can she explain the parameters that would be required for this committee to be put in place? Will witnesses be brought in? What will the membership composition look like? How can we work with— Hon. Ms. Miles (Hanwell-New Maryland, Minister of Social Development; Minister responsible for the Economic and Social Inclusion Corporation, L): Madam Speaker, through you to the member opposite, I’m going to work a bit backward on that. The member opposite said: How can we work with her? That is what we’re asking. This is not something to ever be politicized.

This is a systemic challenge that has been going on for decades. We saw this when we brought in the Child and Youth Well-Being Act. That was meant to be the vehicle and venue to support young folks and families with a person-centred and rights-based approach. The Act is incredible. There have been challenges with the implementation. There have been challenges with how to implement it right down to the front line. We need to be able to give our front-line folks the tools they need to be able to say yes. When they can’t say yes, what are the barriers to saying yes?

When a young person isn’t able to access a program for a particular reason, where are they going? Even though they might not be part of one program, where are they going? Community partners know this already. This is important. I’m going to run out of time, so I know I’ll get to— [Translation] Ms. M. Johnson (Carleton-Victoria, PC): Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 10 [Original] One of the most concerning aspects of the minister’s response is the acknowledgement that systems often move at the speed of caution while children live at the speed of crisis. That’s a very powerful statement. Her response also admits that government systems do not respond quickly enough when vulnerable people need urgent intervention. She’s asking about where people go. I know the answer to this for a fact. I had kids come to me. I said: Where are you going?

Where are you sleeping if you don’t have a place to go? They said: Well, there’s a great little bridge, and in the summertime, we can build a fire and sleep under that bridge. My God, we have young people sleeping under bridges in the warmer months because they have no other place to go. That’s where they’re going. New Brunswick families need the assurance that the government understands the urgency of this situation. My question to the minister is this: Will the minister commit today to establishing clear emergency response standards for at-risk youth so that no child or teenager seeking help is left waiting?

Will she commit to establishing not only an advocacy committee but also an all-party legislative working committee? Hon. Ms. Miles (Hanwell-New Maryland, Minister of Social Development; Minister responsible for the Economic and Social Inclusion Corporation, L): Madam Speaker, through you to the member opposite, every single citizen in New Brunswick needs to read these reports. They need to know what is happening with young people and their families. This is another reason I’m grateful the advocate put out this report as well as the many other reports that the Advocate’s Office puts out.

The goal is always to work the advocate right out of a job, and wouldn’t it be something if we could do that? Wouldn’t it be something if every child and young person knew where to go? Do we have something that exists right now that is more expedient than a legislative committee? That is what I’m asking this House. I’m asking the House to give me the opportunity to explore that. We have a minister’s advisory council coming online right now. Is that the place? PPLOC already exists. Is that the most expedient place? These young folks need us to act right now. We need a system. We need Social Development.

All levels of leadership at Social Development need to see how important, critical, and essential this is. I’m asking for a little bit of time to explore what is the most expedient way to get the right supports and services to young folks. CHILD PROTECTION Ms. Mitton (Tantramar, G): Madam Speaker, the Holt government wants to increase the amount of AI used in classrooms. The new digital literacy curriculum relies on AI chatbots that are harmful to youth. For example, it suggests that elementary students use AI tools to come up with ideas or prompts, to generate questions, or to generate or revise musical

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 11 ideas. Isn’t that what their brains are for? Digital literacy is important, and we must teach how tech affects us, such as how ads try to use emotions to sell us things. However, you don’t need to use AI tools to learn about them, especially in elementary school. The important thing is to teach kids how to learn. Will the Minister of Education pull the plug on the new AI curriculum and instead consult with parents, classroom teachers, and students on digital literacy? Hon. C.

Johnson (Moncton South, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development, L): Thank you, Madam Speaker. Thank you to the member opposite for the chance to clarify a lot of the misinformation that has been floating around regarding the use of technology and AI in schools.One thing I need to make clear is that teaching about AI and teaching how to use AI are two completely different things. In early grades, we are not promoting the use of technology.

We want to use teachers as a resource to answer students’ questions so that when young kids say they are seeing their parents and all these adults in their world using technology, teachers are able to guide young students in a world where this exists. We are not promoting the use of technology by young students. It is just the opposite. We are using books. We are focused on literacy. We’re using binders, scissors, and all those— Ms. Mitton (Tantramar, G): I’m sorry, Madam Speaker, but the new curriculum does include elementary students using AI tools.

We need to make sure we are protecting kids from the harms of AI. It is not inevitable that AI will become a part of everything, and government policy will help determine that. The new curriculum states that kindergarten students will collect data to help make a decision while considering when AI tools might be helpful in coming up with ideas or prompts. As the mom of a child starting kindergarten this year, I’m extremely concerned about this push to have kids use AI instead of learning how to think. There’s no need for my kid to use AI. The point of learning isn’t to just do math problems and write essays.

It’s to use our brains—to be creative, to solve problems, and to think critically. Using AI gets in the way of that. Will the Minister of Education pull the plug on the expansion of AI in the classroom this fall? [Translation] Hon. C. Johnson (Moncton South, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development, L): Madam Speaker, I again thank the member opposite for giving me another opportunity to reiterate what is really happening in New Brunswick schools. Currently, we’re updating the use of technology in schools.

We’re consulting parents, teachers, and experts to determine how to set safeguards to protect children from overusing technology in schools. It’s all part of the process. Right now, we want to make sure that teachers have the resources necessary to answer students’ questions. We also want to put in safeguards to protect students. That’s why guidelines need to be developed to determine when we should use tools and when we

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 12 shouldn’t. Time needs to be dedicated to literacy and numeracy, and clear learning objectives need to be set. Thank you, Madam Speaker. [Original] Ms. Mitton (Tantramar, G): Madam Speaker, I have not seen any evidence of parents being consulted, and I encourage the minister to make these documents public so everyone can see what I’m talking about. AI chatbots have been largely unregulated. They are generating more wealth and power for the tech billionaire oligarchy. Enough is enough.

These oligarchs know the harm their products are having on our kids, and now, we do too. Research has shown that, when used, AI contributes to cognitive impairment, and experts are raising concerns about the long- term impacts on brain development. The Department of Education has a contract with a program called School AI, where students can access AI learning companions, or “thinking partners” . One is called Dot the bot. Instead of teachers, this AI bot takes students through learning. I am going to ask this one more time.

Will the Minister of Education pull the plug on the expansion of AI in our classrooms this fall? Hon. C. Johnson (Moncton South, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development, L): Madam Speaker, thank you to the member opposite for the opportunity to talk, once again, about how we have a need to provide guidelines. You see, she was describing a lot of situations that would make people uncomfortable. This illustrates the need to have clear guidelines on how to use technology and AI in a responsible and ethical way while protecting student well-being. Student well-being is a priority for this government.

At this stage, we are updating our digital literacy approach. We are in the consultation process right now. We will roll this out when everybody is ready and comfortable, but there is certainly a need for guidance in the field right now. Teachers are asking for it, and experts are asking for it, and that is what we are working on right now. Thank you. NB POWER Mr. Austin (Fredericton-Grand Lake, PC): Madam Speaker, the real meat and bones of the NB Power review were the six points that this government is choosing to ignore.

They include debt reduction by the utility, the corporatization of NB Power, and developing natural gas, instead of electricity, to heat homes. These are things that really matter to make life more affordable for New Brunswickers. Instead of repairing the sinking ship, this government is choosing to simply rearrange the chairs on the Titanic. This government is doing things that are really important, such as appointing directors to the board more quickly and enhancing communication from NB Power and performance

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 13 metrics for staff. We’ve heard this from every report over the past 20 years. That’s what this government is doing. These are really miniscule things. With all the stuff we’ve heard from every report, these are the things that the government is focusing on. My question is for the Minister of Energy. When is he going to get serious about reducing and stabilizing electricity rates for everyday New Brunswickers? 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. It’s a bit disappointing that the member opposite would take the work of three known advocates… They are well known in their field for what they do. They provided 50 recommendations. We are working on all of them, including the six we said we would review further. There is some more work because we work in sequence, but all of the recommendations are being worked on.

The only thing the member opposite was able to come up with last week—because he can’t read the report—is natural gas. He is so hung up on fracking that he didn’t read the report. This is about providing subsidies to homeowners to have natural gas. We know, at this point, that doing it immediately would mean only half the province, or not even half the province, would have access to it, which would make it a two-tiered system. We have to look at that before we do it because we can’t offer it to all New Brunswickers and then see what the price is.

Maybe we should understand that, unlike the previous government, where you could just write a letter to increase rates by 20%, we are taking the time to do it right. Mr. Austin (Fredericton-Grand Lake, PC): Madam Speaker, while the Minister of Energy wants to blame the previous government, I’ll give him a fast fact. There’s been a 15% rate increase since his government took office two years ago. I heard the Minister of Energy talk in a scrum the other day about how MLAs are getting too many complaints from residents about their electricity rates. No kidding. So, what does he do?

He comes out and creates a bureaucratic self-licking ice cream—a complaint box called an advocate—which will do nothing to reduce electricity rates or stabilize electricity rates. He ignores the six points the review panel did come out with. He said government would do things in sequence. Yes, after the next election. The government is doing nothing to reduce rates. What are you going to do to make life more affordable for New Brunswickers? Don’t give me some willy-nilly word salad about making announcements and cutting ribbons. I want actual results.

What is the government going to do to make electricity rates more affordable? How will the advocate’s office do that? 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. If the member wants reality, I’ll give him reality.

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 14 Premier Higgs wrote a letter to NB Power that said: You fix your ratio by 2027. There were no plans, research, or data. He just said: Fix it. Sprinkle your pixie dust, and see what happens. I’ll tell you what happened. There was a 20% increase after we got in because of that decision. We fixed it as quickly as we could by reducing it by 10%. That’s what we did. But let’s not make any mistakes. This increase was due to a bad decision made by the previous government. Own it. Madam Speaker (Hon. Ms. Landry): Question period has expired.