Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 1 May 28, 2026 CONTENTS COST OF LIVING Mr. Savoie Hon. Mr. Legacy Mr. Savoie Hon. Mr. Legacy Mr. Savoie Hon. Mr. Legacy Mr. Savoie Hon. Mr. Legacy Mr. Savoie Hon. Mr. Legacy Mr. Savoie Hon. Mr. Legacy Mr. Savoie Hon. Mr. Randall Mr. Savoie Hon. Mr. Randall

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 2 SOCIAL PROGRAMS Ms. S. Wilson Hon. Ms. Miles Ms. S. Wilson Hon. Ms. Boudreau Ms. S. Wilson Hon. Ms. Miles CHILD PROTECTION Mr. Coon Hon. Ms. Miles Mr. Coon Hon. Ms. Miles VETERINARIANS Ms. Scott-Wallace Hon. Mr. Finnigan Ms. Scott-Wallace Hon. Mr. Finnigan Ms. Scott-Wallace Hon. Mr. Randall

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): Thank you very much, Madam Speaker . [Original] Madam Speaker, for the past two days in this Legislature, the opposition has been bringing forward stories of everyday New Brunswickers and their struggles with affordability, affordability that this government promised to bring them. People are falling further behind.

That has been made abundantly clear in the stories that everyday people are sharing with us. This tone-deaf government continues to engage in disconnected, out-of- touch speaking points, adding further insult to everyday New Brunswickers’ affordability woes. In my last question of the day yesterday, I bet that government members knew how much they’re gouging New Brunswickers with the windfall in gas taxes that the government is receiving. Will the Premier of the province get up and tell New Brunswickers exa ctly how many millions of dollars the gas tax windfall is costing them?

Either the government members know the number and will not share it, or they are unaware, as usual. Which is it? Thank you, Madam Speaker . [Translation] 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 we’ve mentioned over the past two days, we’re very aware that the situation is difficult right now. People are finding it very difficult to cope with the cost of living. We know that, but the situation is nothing new, eith er .

In fact, it goes back several years. We could even say that one of the reasons we won the last election was that we promised to take action and we did so, unlike the previous government, which did nothing during its mandate. When we took office, we immediately established a 10% rebate on power bills. When we took office, we immediately established a rent cap. Just recently, we adopted E10 to set the price of gas, specifically to reduce costs for New Brunswickers. That’s real m oney people can put in their pockets. Real efforts have been made since people called for movement for years, but nothing happened.

So, our government is listening and taking action. That’s an important difference. [Original] Mr. Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): People aren’t feeling it, Madam Speaker . The government promised 10% off the bills, but it’s actually 10% off the consumption charge. So, it changed that. On top of that, New Brunswickers are falling

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 4 behind. While government members continue with their talking points, people are feeling the difference. Government members think this is a win. New Brunswickers are losing. Today, I’d like to inform the government members of Cameron’s story, Madam Speaker. Cameron is an ironworker. He actually does have a house that he bought, but there’s a story behind it.

His mother could no longer afford to live in the house, so he had to buy it from her so that she would have the money to pay rent on an apartment. He is also starting a family. He has a car payment. He has a house insurance payment, a car insurance payment, phone bills, heating bills, grocery bills, and veterinary bills. He works between 40 and 75 hours per week to make about $60 000 per year. Cameron and his new wife are expecting their first child, and they’re falling behind.

What does the Premier have to say to Cameron and Courtney that will convince them that life is mor e affordable under the Holt government? Thank you, Madam Speaker . [Translation] 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 , several times, we have repeated the real achievements our government has made possible to make life more affordable for New Brunswickers. The member opposite won’t stop asking the same question about the millions everything adds.

He knows it’s a trick question because that would require a basis. What amount is used to measure an increase in revenue? What’s the normal price of gas? Is it $1.50? Is it $1.40? Is it $1.60? There is no base price. So, to make a calculation like the Leader of the Official Opposition wants, there must be a debate. He knows that isn’t real. Yet, he wants to have a debate on unrealistic things, not the real operations and achievements that our government has accomplished for New Brunswickers to make a difference i n their own pocketbooks. That’s the clear difference in this discussion. [Original] Mr.

Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): The government knows exactly how much it gets from taxes, Madam Speaker , and this Finance Minister won’t share that number. Next, we have Rachel and Dylan. Rachel and Dylan spend almost $300 per week on fuel. They just got married and managed to find an apartment. They could afford to get an apartment only because Rachel’s parents let them live at home rent -free so they could save up money. Rachel is a hairstylist, and Dylan is an electrician and HVAC technician.

These are two hard-working New Brunswickers who had to save money just to be able to afford rent. Add that to the extra fuel costs that the Holt government is downloadi ng to New Brunswickers and you can see why young people are losing hope. Will the Premier get up and explain to people like Rachel and Dylan why she is not reducing gas taxes to help them? Thank you, Madam Speaker .

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 5 [Translation] 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 , the member opposite is suggesting again that we’ve created something new regarding the price of gas. Rather , it’s a continuation of a price variation that has always existed.

However, the opposition members keep saying that the province no longer has the means to do everything it wants to do. The Leader of the Official Opposition talks about cutting provincial revenue by I don’t know how many millions. Who will pay for that sho rtfall? Will it be the children and grandchildren we mention every day and every week? Who will pay? What does the Leader of the Official Opposition suggest? If the price of gas goes down, will he suggest that we increase the tax again? Does he want us to double it and ask New Brunswickers to find a new balance?

The Leader of the Official Opposition wants a fake debate. I know that. Let’s look at the reality and the real actions that have been taken to help New Brunswickers. [Original] Mr. Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): The gall is incredible. Who is going to pay for the extra $3 billion over budget? Future generations. It is unbelievable. Madam Speaker, I’ve been focusing on young people who have completed their education and are trying to start their lives. But what about the young people still in school? How do these affordability pressures affect them? Connor is 24 years old.

He goes to school full - time, and he works part-time to try to pay his vehicle bills. He needs a vehicle to get back and forth to school, so he has to pay for its upkeep, maintenance, and insurance. However , it is becoming more and more difficult for him to pay for fu el. Just going from home to school to work and back home is costing this full -time student more than he can afford. Fuel prices are costing this student $800 per month. Is the Premier going to offer any relief to people like Connor who are suffering from high fuel prices? Will the Holt government give a simple answer?

Can New Brunswickers expect a break at the pumps, yes or no? 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, the member opposite again brings up $3 billion in debt. We just went through a full month, 80 hours, of budget estimates, during which opposition members and their team were able to ask ministers and their staff technical questions about all kinds of things.

They could dig u nder the hood, as they say, to see what we could debate here—what they feel we’ve overspent on.

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 6 Yesterday, all that work, which was four weeks of work, four weeks of questions, and four weeks of everyone’s time, culminated in hot dogs. That’s what the member opposite came up with. His brilliant idea was to argue about hot dogs and how much was spent on a bunch of hot dogs. Thinking about it, really, there may be one hot dog too many in this story. He’s about to ask me another question. Mr.

Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): I hope that New Brunswickers were paying attention to that ridiculous answer. The minister thinks that’s a winning formula while New Brunswickers are losing, Madam Speaker. Since February 25, fuel prices have gone up by as much as 65¢ per litre for regular self -serve. Food prices continue to increase, causing a 55% increase in food bank usage. New Brunswick has one of the highest inflation rates in the country. People’s tax bills are getting so high that they’re being forced out of their homes.

People are deciding between paying grocery bills or paying power bills. Employers are paying money so that their employees can afford to come to work. Families are working harder and for longer hours, and they are falling further behind financially. These are the stories of the affordability crisis in New Brunswick. During an affordability crisis, this government is piling an extra $3 500 on the backs of people who cannot afford it. How can the Premier defend her extra $3 500 per person in spending when people are already suffering? Thank you, Madam Speaker. [Translation] 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 , again, the cost of living is a problem in New Brunswick as it is across Canada. We have committed real money. The 10% rebate on power bills that we provided cost $98 million.

We have allocated funds to eliminate the HST on housing construction to increase the number of construction projects in the province and the number of available housing units so that people can find a place to live and to ensure that costs remain reasonabl e. We have committed real money. At no time when we made any investment did any opposition member rise to say that it was a bad idea. The opposition members have asked for more. Meanwhile, they also say that we have a deficit and that it needs to be addres sed.

We’re unable to have a real debate to find out where, according to the members opposite, too much spending has taken place. Let’s have a debate so they can explain where they think too much money was spent instead of making general observations about thing s that don’t exist. Tell us exactly where we have overspent.

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 7 [Original] Mr. Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): Voila , the upper limit of this minister’s ability to think critically. If he thinks that spending that much money and getting no results is acceptable, then he is dead wrong. We have established that New Brunswick is in an affordability crisis. This government has added $3 500 per New Brunswicker in extra debt.

Last year , the government projected a deficit of $500 million after promising balanced books, but it had a record loan s Act request for $1.5 billion. It wound up overspending up to that loans Act number . This year, the government’s projected deficit is even higher, at $1.4 billion, but it is putting a request through the Legislature for a new record loan of $3.1 billion. Last year, the government overspent its own deficit target by three times the projected amount and arrived at the same figure as the loan request.

Can the people of New Brunswick expect that this government will hold true to form and, rather than spending its $1.4 -billion deficit target, actually repeat the pattern of last year and overspen d the whole $3.1 billion it is asking for? 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, again, it’s great to see the Leader of the Opposition mix up debt with cost effectiveness and liquidity management.

When we do the budgets, the reality is that there are usually three items that come in. There are budgetary pressures, which are programs that have already started, including multiyear programs. There are cost pressures through inflation. Then, there are government decisions. Our government decisions were for about $220 million. Those were platform decisions that we made. The Progressive Conservatives promised $450 million by cutting HST and just eliminating revenue for this province.

I wonder, with all those budget pressures happening right now—which we’ve seen members opposite don’t want to debate or look at—whether they would have kept their promise to cut that HST . Mr. Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): Madam Speaker, you borrow money and get a loan because you have no cash. While it promised balanced budgets, this government has thrown us into deeper debt than any other government in history. What I am looking for from this minister is some fiscal restraint or at lea st some security. Last year , the government put in a loans Act request for $1.5 billion.

The government wound up overspending three times and arrived at that number. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter to the government. This is what I ask: With whatever level of fiscal re sponsibility this government thinks it can bring to the table, can we expect this government to actually

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 8 stick to the deficit target of $1.4 billion this year , or will government just continue to overspend? That is the question I’m asking. Hon. Mr. Randall (Fredericton North, Minister responsible for Opportunities NB; Minister responsible for Economic Development and Small Business; Minister responsible for NB Liquor and Cannabis NB, Minister responsible for the Regulatory Accountability and Reporting Act, L): Thank you, Madam Speaker , through you to the member opposite.

I have been listening to the opposition disparage our Finance Minister for two full days. I want to quote the Brunswick News story from a few days ago about debt being exceeded almost everywhere else in Canada compared to New Brunswick. New Brunswick’s debt is being matched or exceeded by almost every other province. All 10 provinces are projecting operating deficits. The

article notes that “New Brunswick’s numbers aren’t climbing upwards any faster than elsewhere.” I want to put this on the backdrop of what we inherited. We inherited a lack of investment in health care. We inherited a lack of investment in education. We inherited rising power bills. I just want to point out that the debt -to-equity ratio at NB Power was 94% in 2020. The year the former government left office, it was 94%. We have six years to catch up on, and yet we have an excellent Finance Minister who has been delivering results on par with every other province. Mr.

Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): Madam Speaker, I hope the government members keep going and show exactly what they are made of. It’s about the ability to pay. If somebody making $100 000 per year borrows some money, that person has more ability to pay than somebody making $20 000 per year. New Brunswick doesn’t have the ability to pay for its excessive spending. The members opposite want to talk about what they inherited. They inherited balanced budgets. Because they have balanced budgets, they’re now saying they have all kinds of financial bandwidth to do this.

They said they were going to have balanced budgets. We’re seeing record deficits. I’m asking the Finance Minister clearly: Will he commit to New Brunswickers today that they will not go one penny over the $1.4 -billion deficit that they’re already predicting? Thank you, Madam Speaker. Hon. Mr.

Randall (Fredericton North, Minister responsible for Opportunities NB; Minister responsible for Economic Development and Small Business; Minister responsible for NB Liquor and Cannabis NB, Minister responsible for the Regulatory Accountability and Reporting Act, L): Madam Speaker, I was in business my entire life until I took this job. When a business is preparing to close, it stops spending. What we inherited was a province that had stopped spending. We inherited a province where average incomes weren’t rising as quickly as we needed them to. We inherited a province with the lowest average GDP in North America.

The opposition had stopped spending. They had planned for this province to close. They had gutted programs. They had stopped spending on in frastructure. They had

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 9 stopped spending on roads. They had stopped spending on economic development. Their economic development plan was a hope for a rejig, and that showed. There was no plan, so we have a lot of work to do. In the first year and a half of our mandate, we’ve been investing in health care, and we’ve been investing in education. We’ve taken the handcuffs off ONB so that it can invest in New Brunswick’s success stories.

We continue to support NBIF , and we have delivered an economic development plan that leads to 10% economic growth by 2030. SOCIAL PROGRAMS Ms. S. Wilson (Albert-Riverview, PC): Thank you, Madam Speaker . The minister needs to get his stories straight. He needs another history lesson. More and more New Brunswickers are struggling to get by. They are real people with real problems. Assistance, if any, is slow in coming. Kelly’s son was injured in a diving accident that left him paralyzed. Her husband, who is suffering from cancer, cannot help.

When the power goes off at their home, the customized air bed her son needs goes flat. The lift to get him to his power chair will not work, nor will his power chair . After completing a five-page report for Social Development, a worker came to do an assessment. When Kelly called to follow up, she was told that it would take four to five months for a medical board to approve their claim. Does the Minister of Social Development agree that this timeline is totally unreasonable? 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, whenever we have a citizen with any vulnerabilities in this province, any time is too long. The Department of Social Development is working through the Disability Support Program right now to meet the needs of vulnerable New Brunswickers. Every single person in New Brunswick deserves the same access to service. They deserve to thrive, not just survive.

We are working through the Disability Support services framework right now to find the opportunities that have the most impact. Folks shouldn’t have to wait that long. They shouldn’t have to go through a process like that to get the supports and services they need. Thank you. Ms. S. Wilson (Albert-Riverview, PC): Madam Speaker, Laurie, who is a senior citizen, receives in-home care assistance through a nursing care centre. Last fall, she received a letter stating that her monthly fees would be reduced, which was such a relief to her.

However, just a couple of months later, she received a phone call informing her that her fees were set to increase by more than double. This was extremely distressing to Laurie, especially since the method of communication seemed like it might be a scam. She has spent more than six months calling and corresponding in an effort to get a straight answer. Even now, the actual fee amount has not been confirmed, leaving Laurie stuck in limbo and

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 10 deeply worried about how she will afford the care she relies on. Does the Minister of Social Development agree that this treatment of a New Brunswick senior is totally unreasonable? [Translation] Hon. Ms. Boudreau (Champdore -Irishtown, Minister of Seniors; Minister responsible for Women and Gender Equity, L): Madam Speaker , thank you very much to the opposition member for the question.

Certainly, every day, my work involves resolving any situation that specifically relates to New Brunswick seniors. They are all close to our hearts, and we are ensuring that they are safe, that they get the best care in the best possible conditions, and th at they get the best services. I will definitely take note of the situation I just heard about. We will certainly do a very thorough follow-up on the issue that was just raised. Thank you very much, Madam Speaker . [Original] Ms. S. Wilson (Albert-Riverview, PC): Well, thank you, Madam Speaker .

If we could get the minister to actually return her emails or phone calls, that would be great. Then she’d know these things are going on. On page 15 of their election platform, the Liberals promised to “[i] ncrease social assistance rates given the rising cost of food and housing, while ensuring regulations are not penalizing recipients.” Now, I understand that quoting the Liberal election platform is about the same thing as quoting The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which is another work of fiction. However, I would like to focus on the part about “ensuring regulations are not penalizing recipients” .

It seems to me that Laurie, who was told she would have to wait four or five months for a medical board decision, is an example of someone being penalized by regulations. Does the Minister of Social Development agree that this is a case of regulations penalizing a recipient, and what is she prepared to do about it? 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 think there were a few different questions in the member’s statement, so I’m going to answer broadly.

Every single vulnerable New Brunswicker deserves the opportunity to have their questions answered, to feel empowered, and to thrive. That’s why we are going through a process right now of looking at social assis tance modernization. Are we meeting the needs of our vulnerable New Brunswickers? Within that process, Madam Speaker, we’re also having conversations on supporting vulnerable New Brunswickers who fall under the disability support services program. At any time, I would welcome any suggestions from the member opposite on how they’d like

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 11 to see this process be improved. Right now, we have a committed team at Social Development that is supporting vulnerable New Brunswickers and working on empowering them. This team is empowering our front-line staff and providing them the tools they need to deliver for our most vulnerable New Brunswickers. [Translation] CHILD PROTECTION Mr.

Coon (Fredericton Lincoln, Leader, G): Thank you, Madam Speaker . [Original] This government was elected to bring sweeping changes to New Brunswick, but it is failing. Nowhere is this more evident than in the child and youth advocate’s two recent reports: Nobody’s Problem, on the brief life and preventable death of Bobby, and You Said “Y.E.S.” . They Said “NO” . The Advocate has torn the lid off a scandal in the Department of Social Development. The system is failing children and youth, and the consequences are fatal, Madam Speaker. The Advocate calls it death by system. Death by system—can you imagine?

This reinforces the experience of MLAs who encounter the dysfunctional system when trying to help the young constituents who come calling for help. The Advocate is pleading for us to intervene as legislators. Some time ago, we unanimously adopted the Child and Youth Well-Being Act, but it’s not delivering for children. Will the minister ask the Standing Committee on Procedure, Privileges and Legislative Officers to hear testimony from the Advocate and the department’s leadership and to report back to this House? 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 are all implicated in the repercussions of not getting this right and in the stories we’ve heard from the Advocate. We all need to do better. However , at the end of the day, I am the Minister of Social Development. I was elected to lead, and I am accountable.

I am committed to working with our partners, with the Advocate, and with colleagues on this side of the House and the other side of the House to find the fastest and most efficient and expedient way to make sure that we implement the Child and Youth Well-Being Act that came into being. Many people in this House and beyond these walls fought for this, and we need to ensure that we are delivering person-centred and rights-based services to our most vulnerable young people. Everything is on the table, Madam Speaker. Let’s find a way to make sure that we can do it as expediently and efficiently as we can.

Our young New Brunswickers deserve that.

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 12 Mr. Coon (Fredericton Lincoln, Leader, G): Madam Speaker, we need system change. Accountability lies entirely at the feet of the Minister of Social Development. I don’t want her to continue to affirm how serious the problem is while shirking her responsibility for it. She arrived in Cabinet with her eyes wide open based on her experience from her past career.

How is it that those on the front lines routinely close files on children and screen out the concerns of kids who are in desperate need of help? How is it that there is no way to deal with urgency or to escalate a file once a child is in danger? The regional governance structure of the department has failed and failed miserably. It’s the abyss into which children fall and in which some die. Will the minister restructure that system so that social workers can actually care for children as though they were their own? 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 just want to make sure that I clarify something that the member suggested. I am not abdicating any of this responsibility. I believe I said that in my very first answer. At the end of the day, I am the Minister of Social Development.

Right now, we have an incredibly committed team at the Department of Social Development that is looking at how we can better deliver these supports and services, where the barriers are, and what tools are missing for the incredible folks on the front lines. They do not routinely close files on children, as the member suggested. What tools do they need in order to say yes? These are the conversations we are having. We will have them with the advocate, with colleagues in the House, and with our community partners because our children have waited long enough to be front and centre in this conversation.

That is where they deserve to be right now. Stories like Bobby’s, Maddy’s, and Leah’s deserve to be heard. VETERINARIANS Ms. Scott-Wallace (Sussex-Three Rivers, PC): Madam Speaker, the Liberals asked. Even though MLAs on the other side of the room didn’t knock on the doors of rural farmers, they were still given a very clear message a week ago during their day-of-action photo op. We know the Holt government thought it could dodge a bullet by asking its city constituents what matters most to them, but that is not what happened. People showed up in a very big way.

Right now, in the online portion of the survey, 69% of New Brunswickers say that their number one priority is protecting the province’s field vet and lab services, with health care in second place at 10%. Premier, you asked, and New Brunswickers told you to leave our vets and lab alone and stop this attack on rural New Brunswick farmers. Will you listen and stop these cuts?

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 13 [Translation] Hon. Mr. Finnigan (Kent North, Minister of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries, L): Thank you, Madam Speaker . My team and I have had an active dialogue with departmental employees and veterinarians. It will continue throughout this transition so that they are well informed and well supported. Madam Speaker , we are committed to ensuring that information is communicated directly to the team of veterinarians, not just on social media.

Discussions and meetings will continue throughout the process. Thank you, Madam Speaker . [Original] Ms. Scott-Wallace (Sussex-Three Rivers, PC): Madam Speaker, from one end of this province to the other, people are on the farmers’ side on this issue. They know how much there is to lose if vets leave, which we know for a fact is happening right now. The concern is real, and farmers deserve more respect than a shrug and a repeated and an insensitive few seconds’ answer from the minister, who has given no details to make people feel any more confident.

Jill Phillips, a breeder of Nigerian Dwarf goats, is asking whether she should humanely dispatch her herd now while she has access to a vet, or whether she should take a firearms course and purchase a rifle to deal with emergency situations when they happen. What do you say, minister? [Translation] Hon. Mr. Finnigan (Kent North, Minister of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries, L): Thank you, Madam Speaker . [Original] Madam Speaker, we continue to engage with the agriculture sector. As a matter of fact, as late as yesterday, we had a great conference with the National Farmers Union on this subject.

The department is focused on creating a supportive transition for both provincial employees and the clients we serve. By prioritizing effective planning and ongoing engagements, we are building a strong foundation for the next phase. As we move forward, our commitment to quality service delivery remains unchanged. We believe a new model will enhance veterinarians’ ability to treat the evolving needs of those we support without compromising quality. [Translation] Thank you, Madam Speaker .

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 14 [Original] Ms. Scott-Wallace (Sussex-Three Rivers, PC): Madam Speaker , this minister has to give this up. These are not dramatics. These are the real scenarios farmers are faced with daily. Donna Bacher of Titusville says she cannot, with a clear conscience, breed her flock this fall without one hundred percent certainty that a vet will be there to treat her animals if they are in trouble.

She said: I cannot wait until I have a barnful of pregnant ewes or lambs on the ground to discover that I have no access to veterinary care in March. The responsible thing may be to sell my flock this sum mer. I also need to let my hay supplier know whether I will require hay this year. These are real people living with the weight of the world on their shoulders. Madam Speaker , the farmers will be coming back to the Legislature lawn next week. Will the Agriculture Minister please give them some good news by cancelling these cuts once and for all? Hon. Mr.

Randall (Fredericton North, Minister responsible for Opportunities NB; Minister responsible for Economic Development and Small Business; Minister responsible for NB Liquor and Cannabis NB, Minister responsible for the Regulatory Accountability and Reporting Act, L): This government inherited a veterinary system in New Brunswick, one of only two provinces with this system, that could not take on a new client. If there is a new farmer in this province, sorry, you can’t actually find a vet. Do you know what else the opposition did to the dairy industry? They said: Do you know what?

We know that Agropur is restructuring in the face of challenges in the economy, in the face of what consumers are looking for when they’re looking for dairy produc ts around the world. The members opposite knew that Agropur was switching its production in this province. They left millions of litres of raw milk on the table to go outside the province. Do you know what? When they knew about that, they said: Let’s hope for a rejig. Let’s hope for a rejig. They didn’t address the issue. Then, for weeks in this House, I’ve heard: Shut Miramichi’s processing down and send all that milk outside the province.

Madam Speaker, we’re supporting dairy, and we’re supporting agriculture in this province. Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker (Hon. Ms. Landry): Question period has expired.