Friday 1 February 2019

I have often wondered if Higgs and the others read the comment sections Survey Says?

https://twitter.com/DavidRayAmos/with_replies





Replying to and 49 others
FYI I have crossed paths with every character mentioned in this article particularly  its author. Nothing they say surprises me anymore and everybody knows I  consider their words less than worthless N'esy Pas?


https://davidraymondamos3.blogspot.com/2019/02/i-have-often-wondered-if-higgs-and.html





https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/higgs-deficit-balanced-budget-1.5002524



PCs promise balanced books, but harsh realities may bring out red ink again




64 Comments
Commenting is now closed for this story.




David R. Amos 
David R. Amos
What a difference a day makes EH?






David R. Amos
Content disabled.
David R. Amos
Surprise Surprise Surprise


David R. Amos
Content disabled.
David R. Amos
FYI I have crossed paths with every character mentioned in the article particularly its author. Nothing they say surprises me anymore and everybody knows I consider their words less than worthless. Hell even Catherine Tait the new boss of CBC had to eat her words today and still I was not surprised.





Al Bekirkey
Content disabled.
Al Bekirkey
@Al Bekirkey surprise surprise its removed





Al Bekirkey
Content disabled.
Al Bekirkey
type in oh canada our bought and sold out land and teh crime of teh canadian banking system and meet your strawman in the terminal everyone has to access teh libraries of alexandria educate yourself


Al Bekirkey
 Content disabled.
Al Bekirkey
@Al Bekirkey endgame is another great vid to watch


David R. Amos
Content disabled.
David R. Amos
@Al Bekirkey Methinks you make no point for presenting such things.

Mr Higgs and his cohorts don't care the "Golden Rule" to them is "He With the Gold Makes The Rules" N'esy Pas?

  






Matt Steele
Matt Steele
Higgs certainly has his work cut out for himself in trying to clean up Brian Gallant's mess ; but at least Higgs did save the taxpayers a 130 MILLION on the the Francophonie Games scam ; so maybe there is still hope that Higgs can turn N.B. around . No doubt the SANB controlled Liberal Party will fight him every inch of the way as special interest groups hate to lose their place at the taxpayer funded trough .


Paul Bourgoin
Paul Bourgoin
@Matt Steele
You know I read your comment and Man you are way out in left field. As a province we should stand as one but there are those who divide and pocket the money during the fabricated discord. It is about those who benefit, pocket the money not those who pay. At the end of the day our children are in-debt and our resources are gone and they still are playing the same game.!

David R. Amos
David R. Amos
@Paul Bourgoin I Wholeheartedly Agree Sir








Douglas James 
Douglas James
The Liberals underestimated it because they were too focused on spend, spend, spend. On the wrong things. Its natural that Higgs would focus on the province's dire financial straits as this is his comfort zone and he will likely only be willing to stray out of it when and if he gets a majority. Then, it'll likely be back to same old, same old. Lots of spending...on the wrong things.


eddy watts
eddy watts
@Douglas James Higgs was in Office before (Alward)....Stats are easy to find for this period......economic growth? minus jobs created minus..........Grad students leaving the province was 2X that of N.S. over the same time period. Don't hold your breath waiting for positive growth. CUTS now that's another story, but that didn't out very work the last time Higgs was in government, but IT IS ALL THE CONS KNOW.

David R. Amos
David R. Amos
@eddy watts YUP







Paul Bourgoin 
Lou Bell
Wondering why the Liberal forecast was so low ? They had 130 million dollars they had to salt away
for their Games ! Outta sight , outta mind !


David R. Amos
David R. Amos
@Lou Bell You may be correct










 Paul Bourgoin 
Errol Willis
Would love to see the tuition deduction returned to us after the Liberals stole it away.


Harold Benson
Harold Benson
@Errol Willis Lets go one better and have no tuition at all.

David R. Amos
David R. Amos
@Harold Benson I disagree








Harold Benson 
Harold Benson
smoke and mirrors. keep your eyes off his hands.


David R. Amos
David R. Amos
@Harold Benson YUP









 Paul Bourgoin 
Jake Quinlan
""With the first wave of the large baby boom generation reaching the age of 73 this year, "we're barely seeing the tip of the iceberg in terms of aging-related spending on health," he said.""

This is going to define the economy in the next 15 years. Should be an interesting ride.


David R. Amos
David R. Amos
@Jake Quinlan Welcome to the Circus








 Paul Bourgoin 
Jim Cyr
Every time New Brunswickers get a taste of financial sanity, they rush back into the arms of the Liberals.
Expect the same to happen this time........


eddy watts
eddy watts
@Jim Cyr Financial sanity....under the prior Conservative Alward (Higgs) government??? Are there any FACTS to support this. Not talking about cutting services either,as this is all the Cons seem to accomplish. Show some data from the Canadian Council of Business (or other) demonstrating economic growth during Alward-Higgs time. Try to get back to me before 2050.

David Peters
David Peters
@eddy watts

What services are worth destroying the entire economy for? Healthcare and education? Public transit? A free market system with real competition would do these things faster, better and cheaper...not to mention freedom of choice.

David R. Amos
David R. Amos
@Jim Cyr Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose N'esy Pas?







 Paul Bourgoin 
Colin Seeley
If health care is going to become Canada’s financial “ Waterloo” due to aging and it’s costs for Chronic Cares there are other places and models worth consideration.

NZ for exanple spends 40% less per capita on health care including Medicare. Imagine paying 40 % less personal tax to NB Govt for your health care in NB.

Their Medicare system covers Pharmacare and Dental for children and Physio.

Treatments for auto accidents are fully covered and because of that no lawsuits are permitted. There is a tax to pay for this.

How can this be possible one might say ?

1- there is a Co- Pay at the Family Doctor office of $25 . Waived for lower incomes and a yearly cap applies.
All charges for specialists and hospitals and diagnostic testing are fully covered just as in Canada.

2- Private insurance is permitted and accepted . Yes private goes faster.
But the waiting times for public and private are both better than Canada.

There is sometime to be said for accountability and common sense.


David Peters
David Peters
@Colin Seeley

Great comment!

"Treatments for auto accidents are fully covered and because of that no lawsuits are permitted."

Imo, lawsuits, with the crazy high awards and settlements, in the US, were done to over-whelm their private sector healthcare, so that gov't could take over that sector.

David R. Amos
Content disabled.
David R. Amos
@Colin Seeley "There is sometime to be said for accountability and common sense."

Methinks you should tell it to your buddy Mr Higgs in person because I doubt he reads the comment sections and you definitely didn't vote for me N'esy Pas?

David R. Amos
David R. Amos
@David Peters "Great comment! "

If so then why am I not permitted to reply to it?


Al Bekirkey
Al Bekirkey
@David R. Amos wrongthink david your social credit score has just lost another point

David R. Amos
David R. Amos
@Al Bekirkey I am no socialist so why would I care?


Al Bekirkey
Al Bekirkey
@David R. Amos the comment that showed the satire was removed they dont want the people to know the real world applications of a social credit score and thank goodness nb showed the ndp the door

David R. Amos
David R. Amos
@Al Bekirkey I was not joking



Al Bekirkey
Al Bekirkey
@David R. Amos al because you dont believe in the things that go bump in the night does not mean they are not their and pressing the day

Al Bekirkey
Al Bekirkey
@Al Bekirkey well cbc wont allow discourse arguing against collectivism and authoritarianism so we really cant have a real conversation so bless you in your travels

David R. Amos
David R. Amos
@Al Bekirkey FYI I am traveling to Saint John next week with my friend Roger Richard (Who ran in the last election against Kevin Arseneau) we will attend a EUB hearing as Interveners about NB Power rates We don't care about the things the things that go bump in the night We deal with what is on the table today. Its public hearing Perhaps you should consider attending or downloading the transcript later?

Al Bekirkey
Al Bekirkey
@David R. Amos perhaps i will good luck


Roger Richard
Roger Richard
@Al Bekirkey It will be a pleasure to meet you.


David R. Amos
David R. Amos








 Paul Bourgoin 
eddy watts
(Politicians!!!!!!) He obviously knew that he couldn't fulfill those promises he made....but made them anyway. No different than Gallant or the government (Alward-Conservatives) he was a part of . Say anything, do anything to get elected.....I'm still waiting to see all those companies (jobs) that located to Saint John during Higgs (Alward) time in office......NONE!. Maybe all that is going to change....yea like this year's promises!!


David R. Amos
David R. Amos
@eddy watts YUP








David Peters 
David Peters
They tax income AND spending to the point where ppl pay half their paychecks to taxes. Property taxes and fuel taxes are astronomical in many places.

How is it that gov't isn't awash in money?


David R. Amos
David R. Amos
@David Peters Methinks taxation passed the halfway mark for many folks long ago N'esy Pas?








Paul Bourgoin 
ByronMcLean
Economics is a game of guessing - too influenced by people's/governments' reactions to events, etc, to be a true science. Not sure where they got this guy but IAC, according to economics 101; you don't improve your financial situation by continuing to spend more than you bring in.


David R. Amos
David R. Amos
@ByronMcLean I agree









 Paul Bourgoin 
Paul Bourgoin
Premier Blaine Higgs is in an awkward political position with a less than a majority government I believe he is well intentioned but one must remember that the road to Hxxx is paved with good intentions.


David R. Amos
David R. Amos
@Paul Bourgoin I disagree

Methinks many would agree with me in that Mr Higgs is playing a wicked game for the benefit of the Irving Clan N'esy Pas?


Paul Bourgoin
Paul Bourgoin
@David R. Amos
So you believe he follows given instructions from those who never have enough?

David R. Amos
David R. Amos
@Paul Bourgoin YUP








Al Bekirkey 
Al Bekirkey
if we were able to borrow from the bank of canada at straight interest instead of private banks we could flip our debt from compound interest to straight interest and then be able to satisfy the debt and guess who gets the interest payments well the people of canada with the current system debt will continue to grow and cannot be satisfied ever pierre trudeau set this system up and no one has changed it since a couple of presidents tried to change it in the states lincoln got shot jackson got shot at and well jfk met his demise some time after he did the same its serious business and big bankers play for keeps look at crete and greece were they started buying up islands check paul hillier plan and comer vs bank of canada also a good ref is rbc and scotiabank vs bank of canada i think that ruled you cannot satisfy the a debt with a promisary note


David R. Amos
David R. Amos
@Al Bekirkey I agree but I have better idea than that My plan would get us out of debt immediately and provide security for many worried New Brunswickers. I explained t during a debate in the last election and on TV as well and to date nobody will argue the simple solution particularly Mr Higgs







  

Buford Wilson
Buford Wilson
Blaine wasted no time in slaying the deficit.

Watch for explosive economic growth to result in higher government revenue.

We may see the premier reduce tax rates next year.


David R. Amos
David R. Amos
@Buford Wilson Methinks Mr Higgs just picked up where the liberals left off and a few cuts to win support N'esy Pas?









Paul Bourgoin
herbie derbie
Mr higgs is taking credit for a balanced budget that he had no control over, last year there was a 67 million surplus and the deficit for the 2018 fiscal year was projected at 133 million but wait revenue was up and mr higgs then cancelled every project in new Brunswick except for a few in his held ridings.. Yes we will keep a balance budget this year as there will be no amount of new spending only patching around our province then in 2020 to 2021 he will have so much pressure from his caucus he will have to spend no wait who am I kidding the pastor will make sure hes gone before then...


David R. Amos
David R. Amos
@herbie derbie "Mr higgs is taking credit for a balanced budget that he had no control over"

True



 



Claude DeRoche
Claude DeRoche
Did the Irving COR party boy take into account the $3 billion in equalization transfers
he will return to Ottawa when New Brunswickers will refuse fracking?


David R. Amos
David R. Amos
@Claude DeRoche Methinks you don't even live in New Brunswick N'esy Pas?

Rosco holt
Rosco holt
@David R. Amos
Higgs did shot his mouth off about transfer payments and resource development in the past months. Even braindead Bernier applauded him for that position.





https://twitter.com/DavidRayAmos/with_replies





Replying to and 49 others
I have often wondered if Higgs and the others read the comment sections

Survey Says?

https://davidraymondamos3.blogspot.com/2019/02/i-have-often-wondered-if-higgs-and.html


https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/state-of-the-province-balanced-budget-1.5001073



Higgs proclaims New Brunswick deficit-free in first State of the Province address




83 Comments
Commenting is now closed for this story.




David R. Amos 
Content disabled.
David R. Amos
I have often wondered if Higgs and the others read the comment sections

Survey Says?




David R. Amos 
David R. Amos
Methinks Mr Higgs is popular today because everything political is always about the money. Hence his talk of balanced budgets sounded wondrous. However when the wine runs out and reality sets in it will be back to the same old same old. I doubt Higgs and his cohorts will win the next mandate in an election that can't come soon enough for a lot of folks if Vickers steps up to the plate N'esy Pas?









Toby Tolly
Emilien Forest
As I look at one of the picture I noticed four empty bottles of wine for eight people. I wonder how many people drove home impaired after the event?


Toby Tolly
Toby Tolly
@Emilien Forest
have your eyes checked

Marguerite Deschamps
Marguerite Deschamps
@Toby Tolly, why? I see four bottles too. At least three out of the four are already empty.

Lou Bell
Lou Bell
@Emilien Forest Probably Liberals drowning their sorrows .

Steve Gordon
Steve Gordon
@Marguerite Deschamps And there are 5 people at the table and at least 2 empty seats which could be people who are now standing around socializing.

Emilien Forest
Emilien Forest
@Toby Tolly

Counting is something even children can do. Can you? The tables they are sitting at holds eight people and there are four bottles of wine at the table.

David R. Amos
David R. Amos
@Marguerite Deschamps Methinks Higgs and his cohorts may as well eat and drink and be merry before they lose their French Lieutenant and/or the support of the PANB and their minority mandate dies N'esy Pas?

David R. Amos
David R. Amos
@Emilien Forest Methinks Mr Urquhart's old buddies in the Fat Fred City Finest will never bite the hand that feeds. Their fancy part time jobs as Aide de Campe help pump up their pension plan bigtime N'esy Pas?







Toby Tolly 
Albert Wade
If this actually happens then Koodo to Mr Higgs and parties that supported him. Now bring the toll back on the highway to start reducing the debt.


David Peters
David Peters
@Albert Wade

Tolling ferries and roads is a good idea, only after all the hidden fuel taxes are removed.

Tim Locke
Tim Locke
@Albert Wade

On the borders at a minimum.

Bob Stanley
Bob Stanley
@Tim Locke @Albert Wade

I have always said that since we are a pass through province we should put up tolls on the PEI, Nova Scotia, US, and Quebec borders charging non residents coming into New Brunswick that use our roads, and anyone from New Brunswick would be exempt from paying tolls.

Albert Wade
Albert Wade
@Bob Stanley Removing the toll cost us $1 billion in debt plus interest.

Marc Martin
Marc Martin
@Albert Wade

Its actually Bernard Lord a Conservative who removed it by the way...

David R. Amos
David R. Amos
@Marc Martin Methinks you don't know the history of the government your work for N'esy Pas? All the other liberals know that the toll never went away Bernie Lord made it a shadow poll which is paid by all the taxpayers instead of the people who use the road










Toby Tolly 
Mack Leigh
Now Sir show true integrity and do an investigation into the Francophonie Games Fiasco.... It stinks to high heavens and the best way to avoid fiasco's like this in the future is to find out how, when, why and who is responsible for this..... and if necessary to hold them accountable...Otherwise the gong show in this province will just continue...


Colin Seeley
Colin Seeley
@Mack Leigh

It’s simple. It was about to be another Atcon by a few Greedy Liberals who were connected to Dom and Gallantism.

Let it go.

Have a feeling though flogging this into language and culture is likely your MO in a Cain attempt to favour the clans.

David R. Amos
David R. Amos
@Mack Leigh Otherwise the gong show in this province will just continue...

Methinks the circus will continue I suspect that you have no doubts about it either N'esy Pas?









Toby Tolly 
eddy watts
Reading a lot about how we'll now be able to attract new business and keep our grads here because of all the new jobs coming our way: This is Blaine Higgs....(have you forgotten already...I guess so). HE WAS THE PREMIER NOT VERY LONG AGO!!!!: Can anyone name some of the big companies he attracted previously. And please don't bother trying to explain why the exodus of university students was double in NB compared to NS......When will people stop believing in fairytales? I guess this is part of the reason N.B. ranks almost dead last in economic prospects (Canadian Business Council)


Tara Siobhan
Tara Siobhan
@eddy watts Blaine Higgs was never premier before.

Colin Seeley
Colin Seeley
@eddy watts

You are confused perhaps.

It wasn’t that long ago that we had a fellow who proclaimed and promised 10,000 new jobs by 2018.

It was that guy. Gallantism.

Blaine is the real deal.

Freebies will be over though.

Mike Irvine
Mike Irvine
@eddy watts No, its that Liberal attitude that you have on display

Marc Martin
Marc Martin
@eddy watts

Wow Eddie you've got strong CoRservative supporters at your back !! they are all like that by the way they drink the blue kool aid and they are painted blue right trough their panties !!!

David R. Amos
David R. Amos
@Marc Martin Cry me a river















Buford Wilson 
Buford Wilson
I knew he could do it.

Blaine is setting the table for a prosperous future in New/Nouveau-Brunswick.

Be in this place.


Andre Paquin
Andre Paquin
@Buford Wilson
As a former NBer, I am pleased that your Provence's electorate made the right choice and put the adults in charge. We can only hope that Canada will do the same and punt the Libs out in October .

Harold Benson
Harold Benson
@Buford Wilson You're serious, aren't you..

David R. Amos
David R. Amos
@Buford Wilson Yea Right









Toby Tolly 
Tim Raworth
I am not a PC fan but I will give him a little credit for now. Lets see if he will do something to make our other leaders [Irving clan] pay more taxes. I am not holding my breath.


David Peters
David Peters
@Tim Raworth

How about we all pay far less tax instead...then banning monopolies and breaking up the ones that exist. There are anti competition laws on the books already.

Tim Raworth
Tim Raworth
@David Peters I dont mind paying my fair share of taxes. My moon cratered road will need a major make over this spring and it has to be paid for some how. I do have a problem with things like the news story some time ago where the Tim Hortons in SJ is paying more property tax than the Irving rail yard directly across the street.

Shawn McShane
Shawn McShane
@David Peters Saint John Regional Hospital is assessed at $256.2 million but the 300,000-barrel per day Irving Oil refinery is assessed at $98.6 million...

David R. Amos
David R. Amos
@David Peters Dream on








Toby Tolly 
Chantal LeBouthi
Are you going to clean and put salt on NB road before someone died Mr. Higgs or what

Seamus O'hern
Seamus O'hern
@Chantal LeBouthi ....is that a question?....oh dear....or what?

Shawn McShane
Shawn McShane
@Seamus O'hern Some of the Hwys and roads are very bad. People are scared. They are calling them Highways from hell.

Les Cooper
Les Cooper
@Chantal LeBouthi it's to cold for salt to be effective at moment

Harold Benson
Harold Benson
@Chantal LeBouthi You didn't hear? Molasses and beet juice works better than salt and sand, another "improvement ", didn't you notice....(loling)

Harold Benson
Harold Benson
@Les Cooper Untrue

David R. Amos
David R. Amos
@Chantal LeBouthi Methinks Mr Higgs should take my suggestion and expropriate the brand new potash mine in Sussex that just got written off and put New Brunswick back in the business of producing salt N'esy Pas?









Pat Chambers-Dalpe 
Pat Chambers-Dalpe
Wow , I have swamp land in Florida for all you believers .. The Conservatives only know how to cut everything we value ,, Healthcare, Education , Infrastructure , .. Can't wait till March to see how screwed we really are..


Darren J Taylor
Darren J Taylor
@Pat Chambers-Dalpe contrary to liberal belief, you cannot tax and spend a province into prosperity.

David R. Amos
David R. Amos
@Pat Chambers-Dalpe "Can't wait till March to see how screwed we really are"

Me Too








Toby Tolly 
Joseph Vacher
Sucks to be Roland godin or Marc Martin right about now


Cleve Gallant
Cleve Gallant
@Joseph Vacher They’re on the phone right now talking to Brian Gallant and Victor Boudreau, But I’m sure they’ll be back spreading fake news again,

David R. Amos
David R. Amos
@Joseph Vacher YUP









Harold Benson 
Harold Benson
N.B., the only place in the world where they get worried about debt....and how are we making out, being so obsessed with it ?


David R. Amos
David R. Amos
@Harold Benson Methinks Sam is gonna be upset with you writing that N'esy Pas?







Toby Tolly 
Steve Murray
Blah...blah..blah...austerity budget big deal!...smoke screen for dirty oil and fracking agenda to appease his Irving overlords.


David R. Amos
David R. Amos
@Steve Murray YUP





PCs promise balanced books, but harsh realities may bring out red ink again

Economist questions long-term sustainability of balanced budgets


New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs delivered the State of the Province address in Fredericton on Thursday. (Stephen MacGillivray/Canadian Press)

New Brunswick is back in the black, but the province's new deficit-free status may not be here to stay.

Premier Blaine Higgs announced Thursday that the Progressive Conservative government will have a balanced budget this year and another one next year.

With a small Liberal surplus of $67 million last fiscal year, that will mean three straight years of black ink.




But Higgs was cagey on whether his government will stay out of deficit in the long term.

"We're balancing," he said. "I just don't know how long I'm going to be there. I can't hold someone else accountable, but I can hold myself accountable."
That may have been a nod to Higgs being at the head of a minority government, but it's also a wise caveat that recognizes troubling long-term fiscal trends, according to economist Richard Saillant.

Saillant said the factors creating this year's balanced budget are temporary, and deficits could easily return unless there are difficult cuts in the future.

"It's kind of logical the books would be balanced for this year," he said.

Higher revenues


Saillant said Higgs caught a break with revenues far higher than what the previous Liberal government was projecting when it forecast a $188 million deficit for 2018-19.

"For reasons I still don't get fully, the [Liberal] revenue forecast was well below what was reasonable to expect," he said.


Premier Blaine Higgs announced New Brunswick is deficit-free. (Stephen MacGillivray/Canadian Press)
The Liberals projected $165 million in revenue growth this year, but federal transfer payments alone are increasing by $143 million, Ottawa announced in December.

With modest economic growth continuing to generate more income tax and sales tax on top of federal transfers, "this year and the next, [balanced budgets are] going to be easy without doing much," Saillant said.

After that, it's going to become more challenging.

Higgs promised during the election campaign to eliminate the deficit by his government's second budget, due in the spring of 2020.

But that may actually be when the PC premier's good luck starts to run out, Saillant said.

More spending to come


The growth in federal transfers comes mainly from Ontario's booming economy removing it from the equalization-payment pie, a shift that left larger slices of cash for the remaining have-not provinces.
Saillant said that's a one-time shift, so transfer growth will level off in a year or two — even as demands for more spending will continue to pile up.
With the first wave of the large baby boom generation reaching the age of 73 this year, "we're barely seeing the tip of the iceberg in terms of aging-related spending on health," he said.

"Whether they can remain on track in future years without future [restraint] initiatives, that's a much more debatable issue."


Economist Richard Saillant says the levelling out of federal transfers and increased health spending could spoil a string of balanced budgets. (CBC)
Dieppe Liberal MLA Roger Melanson defended the low revenue forecast in his party's last budget, saying it was "the best-educated forecast" at the time, taking into account uncertainty about trade agreements and softwood lumber exports.

"You can never do that 100 percent sure when you do the budget, because it's a very complicated formula. So you do an estimate, based on history," he said.

How does this affect our credit rating?


Travis Shaw, a vice-president at the Dominion Bond Rating Service — which warned last year that it might downgrade New Brunswick's credit rating — said a balanced budget this year is good news.

"On the surface, on the fiscal front, this is encouraging relative to what we had previously understood the situation to be," he said.
But he also warned that the long-term picture is more important for the province's debt rating.

The federal transfers boosting the revenue this year are outside the provincial government's control, but spending is something it has the power to curtail.

"We'll want to see how well the province is adhering to their targets in that regard."

A credit downgrade could translate into the province paying higher interest rates on the money it borrows. The rating service warned last year that the province's fiscal trend was "negative" and said that could lead to an eventual downgrade.

Shaw said the agency will wait until after the March 19 budget to decide on New Brunswick's rating.

CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices



Higgs proclaims New Brunswick deficit-free in first State of the Province address

Premier Blaine Higgs said the 2019-20 budget will also be balanced


Premier Blaine Higgs at the State of the Province address Thursday night. (Gary Moore/CBC)


New Brunswick is deficit-free this year and will have balanced budgets in the next two fiscal years as well, Premier Blaine Higgs announced Thursday night.

The new Progressive Conservative premier used his first State of the Province speech to reveal that his government has managed to eliminate a projected $131-million deficit in the current 2018-19 fiscal year.

That's despite taking power Nov. 9, more than halfway through the year.







He said the 2019-20 budget, to be tabled in the legislature March 19, will also be balanced.
That means Higgs is hitting his deficit-elimination target two years early. In last year's provincial election campaign, he promised a balanced budget in 2020-21.

"We wanted to show we could solve the problem here in New Brunswick with the tremendous workforce that we have in the civil service working for us each and every day," Higgs said in his speech at a dinner hosted by the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce.

"If higher transfer payments do arrive, we will have the happy choice of lowering taxes, paying down debt,or improving our education system."


New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs is hitting his deficit-elimination target two years early. (CBC)

In its November throne speech, the PC government promised to eliminate the small business tax and the so-called "double property tax" on secondary properties — but Higgs said that wouldn't happen until the deficit was gone.

The government's capital spending plan in December cancelled more than $200 million in planned infrastructure work in the coming year.



That included a planned new courthouse in Fredericton, a new New Brunswick Museum in Saint John and a new school in the west end of Moncton.

The previous Liberal government ran a $67-million surplus in 2017-18 but had projected a $188-million deficit for the current year, a projection that was updated to $131 million last fall.

Fears for credit rating


Higgs has said his top priority as premier is to eliminate the deficit as quickly as possible to avoid credit agencies downgrading the province's credit rating. A lower rating would force the province to pay higher interest rates on its accumulated debt, which is now above $14 billion.

"A downgrade in our credit overnight means that we spend hundreds of millions more to borrow money — and to service the debt we already have," he said in the speech.

The premier repeated his now familiar message that he'll avoid the temptation to spend tax dollars to make himself and his government more popular — though he didn't mention his cancellation this week of the Francophonie Games.


Higgs delivered his speech at a dinner hosted by the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce. (Gary Moore/CBC)

"We have already avoided some of the typical political games," he said. "Usually a new government rushes all of its projects and spending into the first year, so they can run up a bigger deficit and blame it on the past government.

"We did not do that," he said. "We sent a clear message to credit rating agencies and investors by controlling spending in this fiscal year."
He contrasted that with the previous Liberal government, which he said increased spending by $1 billion over four years without any improvements in literacy scores, poverty rates or surgical wait times.

Not giving up on Energy East


Now, Higgs said, he is challenging New Brunswickers to embrace "a smaller and more responsive government" but also "a bigger sense of citizenship" that focuses on the province's long-term prosperity.

He also suggested he'll use New Brunswick's geographic position as leverage to persuade Quebec to support a revival of the cancelled Energy East oil pipeline.

Noting that Quebec is looking at new transmission lines that would let it sell its hydroelectricity into the United States, Higgs said allowing that electricity to pass through New Brunswick "won't be a one-way exchange."

"If provinces want access to our grids, or our territory, to move their stranded assets, I will expect equal concern from them for our economic future," he said.



Higgs also said the province will reform social assistance so the rules aren't too strict for people new to the system or "tolerant of those who have been in the system for years."
That could include the government helping to pay for the travel of people on welfare in outlying communities so they can get to workplaces where there are shortages of employees. It could also mean helping with child care or housing.

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