Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 1 June 8, 2021 CONTENTS HEALTH CARE Mr. Melanson Hon. Mr. Higgs Mr. Melanson Hon. Mrs. Shephard Mr. Melanson Hon. Mrs. Shephard EDUCATION Mr. Melanson Hon. Mr. Cardy Mr. Melanson Hon. Mr. Cardy

AN ACT RESPECTING EMPOWERING THE SCHOOL SYSTEM Mr. Bourque Hon. Mr. Cardy Mr. Bourque Hon. Mr. Cardy Mr. Bourque Hon. Mr. Cardy

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 2 PROTECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION Mr. McKee Hon. Mr. Higgs Mr. McKee Hon. Mr. Higgs FIRST NATIONS Mr. Coon Hon. Ms. Dunn Mr. Coon Hon. Ms. Dunn Hon. Ms. Dunn ENVIRONMENT Mr. Austin Hon. Mr. Crossman AIRPORTS Mrs. Conroy Hon. Mr. Holland ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Mr. D’Amours Hon. Ms. Dunn Mr. D’Amours Hon. Ms. Dunn

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 3 [Original] HEALTH CARE Mr. Melanson (Dieppe, Interim Opposition Leader, L): Mr. Speaker, we have spent many, many hours in this Legislature talking about the shortage of health care providers in our system. [Translation] We saw an impact on the ER at the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre. [Original] We have seen it at the Saint John Regional Hospital, we have seen at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital, and we have seen it at the Moncton Hospital.

Over the weekend, we saw it at the Sackville hospital. Can the minister or the Premier identify clearly for us here today what actually is the plan to avoid ER interruptions during the summer months? Hon. Mr. Higgs (Quispamsis, Premier, Minister responsible for Intergovernmental Affairs, PC): Thank you for the question. I guess that I wanted to take this because these cases and these repetitive situations that we have seen have become the new reality of the challenges that we are facing across the network in health care.

The opportunity that we have as we go forward is certainly to say, as the President of the Nurses’ Union put forward, that we need to work together as a team to manage these challenges in the same way we have done throughout the pandemic. We have managed as a team, and that is what we are going to have to do this summer. Certainly, the advocate, the president, was saying that if we do not do this, we are going to be asking people to work 24-hour shifts—24-hour shifts. That is unimaginable. No one should be asked to work 24-hour shifts.

The idea is that we have to work together because people are not just available. The member opposite mentioned that other provinces are offering incentives. Well, this is the situation: Everybody offers incentives, and then nothing changes—nothing changes. So we need to fix it at the root cause, Mr. Speaker, and that is done by working together. Mr. Speaker (Hon. Mr. Oliver): Time. Mr. Melanson (Dieppe, Interim Opposition Leader, L): Mr. Speaker, we know that the Premier does not want to invest in the human resources shortfall that we have in our health care system.

He does not even want to negotiate the collective agreements in good faith. One thing that the Minister of Health learned when she paid a visit to the Dumont hospital is that there is a lot of cooperation between the two hospitals. I understand that she

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 4 realized that when she paid a visit. The Premier just got up and gave us a spiel on wanting to cooperate more and on seeing more cooperation. There is already a lot of cooperation. The fact of the matter is that there are not enough people in nursing and there are not enough LPNs. We need more people to be retained and recruited. Can the Premier tell us what exactly he is going to do to try to retain and recruit more nurses and LPNs? Mr. Speaker (Hon. Mr. Oliver): Time, member. Hon. Mrs.

Shephard (Saint John Lancaster, Minister of Health, PC): Well, it is a new week, Mr. Speaker, but it is the same old, same old. Let’s talk about our medical professional shortages. It is not just RNs, although, right now, that is what we are seeing and being challenged with, but it right across our medical professional board. We do have recruitment and retention plans in place, and we have talked about those here in this House. Do you know what, Mr. Speaker? I also know that, yes, there absolutely has been a lot of cooperation between the Dr.

Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre and the Moncton City Hospital, as there has been throughout the network, but it can always be better. We need a network of excellence throughout this province, and that is what I will strive for and what I will continue to work on. We have said that it is going to be a rough few months—it is—but I am grateful that we have two RHA systems that are working together. We are going to deliver the best that we can under the circumstances and strive to do even better. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] Mr. Melanson (Dieppe, Interim Opposition Leader, L): Mr.

Speaker, the minister has just said that we have some extremely rough months ahead of us. She has just admitted that we are in for some extremely rough months. So, nurses, licensed practical nurses, and attendants have to get ready, because the government is doing absolutely nothing to help them. The minister is aware of the challenges. For two and a half years, not much has been done to try to deal with the situation. As for all the hospitals I just listed, we are only talking about the emergency rooms. We are not talking here about the other departments that are affected.

I would advise the minister not to give up and to deal with the situation. She needs to convince her Premier to invest in human resources with respect to health care professionals. He is the one who decides; he is the one to convince. Are you going to try? [Original] Hon. Mrs. Shephard (Saint John Lancaster, Minister of Health, PC): Mr. Speaker, we are not giving up, and in fact, it is exactly the opposite. We know that we have to have a system and

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 5 a network of excellence that the people of New Brunswick can depend on. The member does not have any idea as to what is going on with regard to what our Premier thinks. With all due respect, we have a Premier who absolutely—absolutely—is committing to get the best that we can get out of not only our network but also our people and to support them. Also, I have a vision for this network of excellence, Mr. Speaker.

It is that medical professionals will be as equally satisfied as the patients they serve. What a vision to strive toward. That, in itself, will be a recruitment and retention tool that no other province has. But we cannot get there with the flip of a switch, Mr. Speaker. It is going to take some hard work and effort, not just from us but also from them and from the people of New Brunswick. The medical professionals that serve us—we want to serve them in the same way. I believe that we will get there, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] EDUCATION Mr. Melanson (Dieppe, Interim Opposition Leader, L): Mr.

Speaker, another area that is facing a lot of challenges—and this has become even more evident during the pandemic— is our education system. As you know, the pandemic has had an impact on our young people’s learning that we have yet to fully understand. Students have experienced reduced classes, cancelled exams, and distance learning. Our teachers have worked extremely hard to try to minimize the impact on our youth. We salute them and commend them, especially since it is the end of the school year. I think their vacation this summer will be very, very well deserved.

I ask the Premier today whether, in light of the pandemic that has affected our education system, he is prepared to commit to a full assessment of its impact on the learning of our young people. Hon. Mr. Cardy (Fredericton West-Hanwell, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development, PC): Thank you for the question, through you, Mr. Speaker, to the Leader of the Opposition. I agree wholeheartedly with many of the comments made today about the extraordinary work done by our school professionals: teachers, teaching assistants, bus drivers, and custodians.

Everyone has weathered an extraordinary time in the life of the province and achieved great success. In total, fewer than 30 teaching days were lost due to COVID-19, all schools included. It is incredible, but, yes, absolutely, we are going to be challenged. Absolutely. The department team is already clear about the direction that we are going to take in September. The team is already consulting with the districts to consider the anticipated consequences of the pandemic on the lives of our students in September.

We can do that and report back here to the House and take the necessary steps to protect our young people in the post-COVID-19 environment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 6 [Original] Mr. Melanson (Dieppe, Interim Opposition Leader, L): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The minister—I suspect that he has the approval of the Premier to do this—is looking at a postpandemic recovery plan in education. I understand that we will see something in September or early fall regarding what the impact has been and what additional initiatives need to be done moving forward to try to help with some of the unfortunate loss of learning for children in the province.

The outgoing Teachers’ Federation cochair said that we probably need more boots on the ground to help when it comes to teaching, mental health, guidance counselors, and behaviour mentors. Is the minister or the government prepared to consider all these things, including incremental resources, to try to help with some of the losses that our kids, unfortunately, had to live through during this pandemic? Hon. Mr. Cardy (Fredericton West-Hanwell, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development, PC): Thank you, Mr. Speaker, to the Leader of the Opposition for that question.

In the fall, once we see what happens when school returns after Labour Day and we have had some weeks to get that analysis of how we are doing, we will absolutely come back with plans and share them with the House, through the department and through all the other tools at our disposal. That is how that information should be shared. The future of our education system and the progress of children through that system are incredibly important to every New Brunswicker. That will absolutely be a priority.

When it comes to resources, this government has never shied away from making the necessary investments in teaching staff and in other resources. We have taken steps to make sure that our teachers have the support that they need. We are going to continue that, and I am going to be looking for support from the opposition as we work to try to talk to our universities about ways in which we can get more teachers into teacher-training programs and into our classrooms to help all our students achieve their best. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

AN ACT RESPECTING EMPOWERING THE SCHOOL SYSTEM Mr. Bourque (Kent South, L): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, talking about what the minister was talking about in terms of having more resources, the minister needs to think about the psychologists. The Leader of the Opposition was talking about the mental health issues. We all know that the psychologists do not have the proper working conditions. I also want to talk about the resource teachers.

I have been talking to resource teachers who, when referring to Bill 35, are telling me that this bill is going to do more harm than good because it will take their time away from the children—time that they desperately need. They are also saying that they have what it takes to do personal learning plans. That is what is needed. They already have those resources, so they do not understand this minister’s position of basically having them do things that are related to medication and medical issues. The minister needs to answer this because it is very worrisome. Thank you.

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 7 Hon. Mr. Cardy (Fredericton West-Hanwell, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development, PC): Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thanks to the member opposite for the question. The fearmongering around this bill is getting tiresome. We are not talking here about giving resource teachers the ability to diagnose or prescribe.

The member opposite talks about resource teachers doing work to support children and how this is going to take away from their ability to do work with children—that is the whole point of this. I would encourage the honourable member to go and talk to the parents who have waited year after year after year for a psychoeducational assessment, which they were told that their child needed, only to be told that we did not have the people to be able to complete that task.

Absolutely, we are going to work to continue to recruit child psychologists and deal with wages and working conditions through the collective bargaining process, which the member knows we cannot discuss in this room. But beyond that, we are going to look at broader, systemwide changes to make sure that some of these backlogs are addressed. The methods that are being put in place through Bill 35, which I am looking forward to debating later today, will help us to go down that road. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Bourque (Kent South, L): Mr.

Speaker, I think the minister needs to go and check with his staff and go into the schools and talk to resource teachers, because resource teachers will tell him that… What do resource teachers do? They take care of the learning aspects, and they have the tools right now to conduct personal learning plans. That is what they do. Why is the minister bringing in this legislation… By the way, if it happens in other provinces, as the minister says it has, it is only on an ad hoc basis. It is not systemic, as this minister wants to make it.

The resource teachers are saying: We already have the tools needed to do what we need to do when it comes to learning. What is important when it comes to the assessments that the minister talks about is that it is the role of the psychologists to do them. The resource teachers do not want to do them. They want to help with learning. Why is this minister obsessed with having teachers do what psychologists should have been doing from the get- go? Thank you. Hon. Mr. Cardy (Fredericton West-Hanwell, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development, PC): Thank you, Mr.

Speaker, to the member opposite, for the question. Thanks very much for that. This gives me an opportunity to talk about the fact that, first off, our child psychologists in our schools do a superb job—our school psychologists. We need to recruit more of them, and we need to make that a more attractive career. We can make that a more attractive career, in part, by providing them with the supports that they need. Our resource teachers do a superb job as well, and they absolutely work on the personalized learning plans that have become an important part of our education system.

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 8 But we have this backlog, which the members opposite refuse to acknowledge, of thousands of children, mostly from poor families who cannot afford to get these assessments done privately on their own time and on their own dime, and those students have been left behind. That has happened year after year after year. We have heard the College of Psychologists say that no government will have the courage to confront the college. I am here to say that this government has that courage.

You may choose to carry the water for professional associations. We are here for the people of New Brunswick, and we make no apologies for that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Bourque (Kent South, L): Mr. Speaker, I agree with the minister that the psychologists, the resource teachers, and all the personnel in the school system do a fantastic job, and they have done so throughout, especially in the pandemic and the rest of the time as well. I fail to see the minister’s logic in saying that we have to restructure the system because of the thousands and thousands of students that are backlogged.

Yes, there is a backlog, and we all agree about that. But why have the resource teachers take over that backlog when it is supposed to be for medical reasons or for medication? That is why, normally, a psychologist is involved, because it is for a medical purpose and medication is prescribed. Why are resource teachers being involved in that? They have nothing to do with that. They are involved in learning, and that is where it goes sideways.

I would not want any other medical professional to give a diagnosis on another type of element, for example, so the minister really needs to explain it here because it is not clear. Hon. Mr. Cardy (Fredericton West-Hanwell, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development, PC): Mr. Speaker, this is where the people lose confidence in their legislators—when, after the myriad hours spent discussing and debating this, the opposition critic for Education and Early Childhood Development still does not understand even the core of the bill.

Let me be clear, and I will say this slowly and clearly so that the honourable member understands: This is not about providing medical diagnoses. That is not within the professional competence of resource teachers. It is not about mental health issues. This is about educational deficits only. For those who have mental health and other challenges, that is why we have psychiatrists. That is why we have higher levels of expertise, and we will continue to rely on them. We are going to give them more time, by moving to change the system, so that the backlog is addressed.

The honourable member continues to ignore the core point behind Bill 35 in this respect, which is that thousands of poor and low-income New Brunswick students are deprived of access to psychoeducational assessments, and we are not going to sit back and… Mr. Speaker (Hon. Mr. Oliver): Time, minister.

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 9 PROTECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION Mr. McKee (Moncton Centre, L): Mr. Speaker, the Crown has decided to withdraw charges against Dr. Ngola for allegedly violating the terms of the emergency order. Unfortunately, the Premier stoked the flames of anger in the Campbellton area and beyond by suggesting that Dr. Ngola had done so, and the Premier provided information to the public that led to Dr. Ngola’s identification. The Premier also provided information to the public about Dr.

Ngola’s COVID-19 test results. All of this is private information, disclosed by the Premier, that no doubt led to Dr. Ngola’s identification and a breach of his privacy. Does the Attorney General approve of this, or does he have concerns that the Premier violated the provisions of both the Right to Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Personal Health Information Privacy and Access Act? Hon. Mr. Higgs (Quispamsis, Premier, Minister responsible for Intergovernmental Affairs, PC): Thank you for the question.

I think that if we go back in the history to understand the details that were revealed, we probably will find that the timing was not related to the identification. The issues were related to a health care worker, and the discussion was around how we actually received additional or potential infections in the province. However, I would like to make a proposal. If Dr. Ngola thinks that I disclosed his identity or thinks that I breached his privacy, all the facts should be on the table. I was actually kind of disappointed that the hearing did not go on, but it was not my call. In any case, I would like for Dr.

Ngola to say: Okay, I will not charge you with a breach of privacy if you reveal all the information that you have. I have not revealed it because I do not feel at liberty to do so. But if he suggests that he will give me a waiver and will not charge me in terms of privacy, I will reveal all the information that I know about this case—all of it—and then we will end this discussion. So there, let’s put it on the table. Thank you. Mr. McKee (Moncton Centre, L): Mr. Speaker, the actions of the Premier in unfairly accusing Dr.

Ngola of violating the emergency order and causing the Campbellton outbreak were deeply disturbing. They not only served to fuel anger, hatred, and resentment toward Dr. Ngola but also caused racist taunts against him and his family. The Premier was implying guilt before there was even an investigation. Last week, the Attorney General talked about the independence of Public Safety and prosecutions, but the Premier went behind all of them and orchestrated this unfounded and baseless investigation against Dr. Ngola. I am asking the Premier today to stand up and do the right thing and apologize to Dr.

Ngola and his family for his actions. Hon. Mr. Higgs (Quispamsis, Premier, Minister responsible for Intergovernmental Affairs, PC): Mr. Speaker, we see that the member opposite has his questions and lists, and those are all he can read from because there would not be any further imagination involved.

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 10 I very clearly said that, okay, I was not able to release it, and I did not. Was I encouraging, certainly, any of our enforcement folks to ensure that people follow the rules? I did that throughout the entire pandemic, Mr. Speaker. I will repeat my point. I am saying to Dr.

Ngola that if he feels that I wrongly did something to him personally, then I would suggest, if he wants to know all the facts that I knew at the time and all the timing and all the issues that surrounded all of that—what I know now and what I knew before—I am prepared to share that openly and publicly. But I cannot do so, because there would be a privacy issue and only Dr. Ngola can waive that. So if he says that he will not accuse or sue the Premier for any of the information that would come forward because he would like to understand all the facts, I am there, Mr. Speaker. We will release it.

Then he will see it, we will see it, and everyone will see it, and there it will go. It will be over. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. FIRST NATIONS Mr. Coon (Fredericton South, Leader, G): Mr. Speaker, there is a pressing need to reset the relationship with First Nations. There are calls to action and calls to justice to implement. There are coroner’s inquiries to implement into the police shootings of Chantel Moore and Rodney Levi to get at the truth. There are the promised inquiries into systemic racism in the Indian day schools.

When the tax agreements expire, First Nations communities may stop collecting provincial tax and collect their own. Mr. Speaker, last week, I asked that you convene a special sitting of the Legislature this month with First Nations leaders so that we can hear directly from them and begin a dialogue to reset the relationship with the support of all parties in the House. I want to ask the Premier if he supports convening a special sitting of this Legislature with First Nations leaders from all corners of our province. Hon. Ms.

Dunn (Saint John Harbour, Minister responsible for Economic Development and Small Business, Minister responsible for Opportunities NB, Minister responsible for Immigration, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, PC): Thank you to the member opposite for the question. We value our relationship with First Nations. I am pleased to report that we actually have a meeting with them coming up very soon. I would not want to presuppose anything with respect to what they are requesting, so I would say today that there is more information to come with respect to those outcomes, and we will be back reporting on those. Thank you.

Mr. Coon (Fredericton South, Leader, G): This is a perfect example of the problem, Mr. Speaker. Why does the Premier freeze up every time it comes to a question involving Indigenous people in this province? The relationship is so bad, Mr. Speaker, and here is an example. I spoke to Chantel’s mother, Martha Martin, this morning when she was out here with Chief Allan Polchies and the Grand Chief of the Wolastoqey Grand Council, friends, supporters, and some Fredericton

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 11 community members. She told me that when the report of the investigation that was released by Public Prosecution Services was presented on Monday, it was read to her over the phone by a civil servant. No one from this government was present at all—not the Premier, not the Minister of Justice, and not the Minister of Indigenous Affairs. She had nothing, and I had to print it out for her, for Pete’s sake. I had to print it out for her, Mr. Speaker.

So why, when it comes to engaging with Indigenous people, does the Premier lose his compassion and his basic humanity? Mr. Speaker (Hon. Mr. Oliver): Time, member. Hon. Ms. Dunn (Saint John Harbour, Minister responsible for Economic Development and Small Business, Minister responsible for Opportunities NB, Minister responsible for Immigration, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, PC): Thank you again to the member opposite for the question. (Interjections.) Mr. Speaker (Hon. Mr. Oliver): Order, member. Member. (Interjections.) Mr. Speaker (Hon. Mr. Oliver): Minister. There will be no more outbreaks.

Go ahead, minister. Hon. Ms. Dunn (Saint John Harbour, Minister responsible for Economic Development and Small Business, Minister responsible for Opportunities NB, Minister responsible for Immigration, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, PC): Thank you again to the member opposite for the question, Mr. Speaker. I would say this. We are working on bettering our relationship with First Nations. We actually have had meetings with the chiefs. We are talking about a new partnership, a new way forward.

I would suggest that, rather than incite division, we try to come together to work together to help that relationship and build that relationship moving forward. Thank you. ENVIRONMENT Mr. Austin (Fredericton-Grand Lake, Leader, PA): Mr. Speaker, in the winter of 2019, New Brunswick faced one of the most aggressive fires in our history with the tire recycling fire in Minto. The fire raged for several days, with responses from various levels of government as well as numerous fire departments throughout the region.

EMO, with the help of DTI, commissioned countless dump trucks to haul sand to extinguish the flames in the best way possible.

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 12 The Tire Recycling Atlantic Canada Corporation (TRACC) also commissioned an environmental assessment team to address short-term environmental impacts and to help clean up the immediate effects on the site. With the help of everyone involved, it seems as though, over the last year, there has been minimal effect on local groundwater; however, the long-term effects are yet to be understood. My question is for the Minister of Environment.

Can the minister tell us what plans his department has to ensure that proper, long-term cleanup of the site is done? Hon. Mr. Crossman (Hampton, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Minister responsible for the Regional Development Corporation, PC): Thank you very much to the member opposite for the question regarding the TRACC fire. That was just over a year ago—you are right. The department has conducted routine site inspections, as the member probably knows. The progress meetings are taking place, and we are sharing the information with the village of Minto on an ongoing basis.

The monitoring of wells immediately on site has shown petroleum hydrocarbons, metals, and furans. Results from nearby residential and commercial wells satisfy the standards for drinking water. TRACC continues to monitor the site on an ongoing basis. AIRPORTS Mrs. Conroy (Miramichi, PA): Mr. Speaker, the government has been working with the Miramichi Airport on a new contract and new tenants after its recent loss of FPL when it moved to Fredericton.

The minister has committed to signing a new contract with DNRED and the airport, which is great news for our airport and for Miramichi, and we were told that we would hear something this month. FPL was a huge tenant for many years. It was very efficient for the fire protection of the province, it created a lot of jobs, and it is a huge loss for Miramichi. My question is for the Minister of Natural Resources and Energy Development. Could you please give us an update on the Miramichi Airport? What are the plans to replace FPL? When are we going to see this implemented? Hon. Mr.

Holland (Albert, Minister of Natural Resources and Energy Development, PC): Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question. It is important to note that, although there have been some changes to the dynamics as they relate to forest protection and the Miramichi Airport, Miramichi is not without the services of FPL. In fact, FPL is padded throughout 11 different locations in the province. It is committed to making sure that not only Crown land is protected but also all areas of the province. FPL is poised to act and react immediately whenever it faces situations.

The Miramichi Airport has been working very closely with my department. We are looking forward to continuing the working relationship that we have. I know that ONB has also been communicating with it. From what I am understanding, we are going to move forward with the work that we do with the Miramichi Airport as it relates to DNRED. There are other folks that are expressing interest. The municipality of Miramichi is working as well.

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 13 There is a collaborative effort there to ensure the success and the sustenance of that wonderful, central location of business in the Miramichi region that is so important. [Translation] ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Mr. D’Amours (Edmundston-Madawaska Centre, L): Mr. Speaker, following the latest lockdown in the northwestern region, municipalities, economic development organizations, and businesses asked the provincial government for an economic recovery plan for the hard-hit region.

In the last few days, the Minister responsible for Economic Development and Small Business has slightly relaxed the eligibility rules to access a limited amount of assistance, but she has also announced that the program will end once we move to the green phase. Where is the assistance for sole proprietors who have had to close? Where is the assistance for businesses with one or two part-time employees? Where is the assistance for the tourism, accommodation, and restaurant industries? Where is the economic stimulus plan for northwestern New Brunswick that stakeholders in the region have requested?

When will the government listen to the people and businesses that need its assistance and have suffered because of the lockdown? When is the government going to do its part and ensure that we have clear and effective rules for everyone? [Original] Hon. Ms. Dunn (Saint John Harbour, Minister responsible for Economic Development and Small Business, Minister responsible for Opportunities NB, Minister responsible for Immigration, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, PC): Thank you to the member opposite for the question. Mr. Speaker, I would say this: We are working with all regions of the province.

I think that, if you look at our economic record, we are surpassing all provinces in Canada on a number of fronts with a projected 6.1% GDP growth. Also, there were 7 100 jobs created last month. We have the lowest unemployment figures in Atlantic Canada. What I will say with respect to this program is this: In the first phase, over $1.6 million went out to small businesses. Over 350 businesses availed themselves of the program. Phase two, as you know, will be phased out with respect to green. But at some juncture, these programs do have to come to an end.

We actually do work in collaboration and alignment with the federal partners. Federal partners have programs for individual, singular persons looking for help. We have to be cognizant of the fact that we have a fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayers, and that is why this program is operating and will continue to operate the way that it is. Thank you.

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 14 [Translation] Mr. D’Amours (Edmundston-Madawaska Centre, L): Mr. Speaker, the northwestern region has been dramatically affected by the lockdown in the region. Despite what the minister is trying to say, the provincial government has done next to nothing to save the economy of the region. However, the federal government was there; it was there to assist businesses and people.

During the lockdown, stakeholders in the northwestern region, economic development organizations, and businesses asked the provincial government for a recovery plan to assist businesses in the region that were forced to close for weeks. With the borders still closed and no access yet to tourism, when will the government present an effective plan to get the economy moving again in the northwestern part of the province? [Original] Hon. Ms.

Dunn (Saint John Harbour, Minister responsible for Economic Development and Small Business, Minister responsible for Opportunities NB, Minister responsible for Immigration, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, PC): Mr. Speaker, thank you again for the question. I reiterate our position with respect to the fact that we are working with all sectors and all industries throughout the entire province. I would also kindly remind you that we did actually relax the requirements with respect to the provisions around the grant program.

When we had businesses that went into lockdown, they actually became eligible for the grant as well. We are going to continue working with all regions of the province. We do actually have a vision plan for the northern part of the province. It had a number of factors that it asked for. We have agreed with the factors that it is looking for. We are saying that we are working together on implementing those things. There will be more information to come on that. Thank you. Mr. Speaker (Hon. Mr. Oliver): The time for question period is over.