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February 21, 2014 ORAL QUESTIONS 30 QUESTIONS ORALES le 21 février 2014
Accountability
Mr. Melanson: The Premier made a commitment that he would make public the audited financial statements of the province 60 days before an election. The Auditor General, who does a lot of valuable work in her office, made a recommendation in her last report to the government that, in order to respect that time frame and make those documents available by July, the review process within the Office of the Comptroller and the Department of Finance evolve and adapt to the new time frame.
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February 20, 2014 ORAL QUESTIONS 29 QUESTIONS ORALES le 20 février 2014
New Brunswick Drug Plan
Mr. Arseneault: Over the last several weeks, we have had the opportunity to ask questions for many hours with regard to the new drug plan introduced by the Minister of Health. There are many parts with which we agree, but there are also many parts of the plan with which we have concerns, which is why we have raised it on many occasions. One of the areas with which we have a major concern is how irresponsible it was for the Alward government to put Phase 2 at a $150-million cost without having a breakdown of how that cost is going to work out, other than making it mandatory for every individual in the province to adhere to the program.
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February 19, 2014 ORAL QUESTIONS 28 QUESTIONS ORALES le 19 février 2014
Efficiency NB
Mr. Gallant: I would like to talk today about the Efficiency NB residential rebate program. This is a program that has seen 30 000 houses be revamped and become more energy efficient. That is approximately 10% of the homes and houses in New Brunswick. The people who have actually accessed this program had savings averaging approximately $1 000 per year.
This is also something that creates jobs. We have people working in trades, ensuring that they do the upgrades. On top of that, studies have shown that $1 invested in these types of programs can give $2 in spin-offs with regard to the economy. Also, of course, we cannot neglect what it does for our environment, making sure that we are more energy efficient.
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February 14, 2014 ORAL QUESTIONS 27 QUESTIONS ORALES le 14 février 2014
Federal Budget
Mr. Gallant: The Minister of Finance said earlier this week that he wanted some time to analyze the Stephen Harper federal budget. I think we have waited long enough, so I will ask again the question that I asked a few days ago. I would ask the Premier, but because the Minister of Finance got up last time, I will ask him to please explain what he thinks the impact of the Stephen Harper budget will be on our province.
Hon. Mr. Higgs: As I said previously, we are still going through the details and working with the explanations on some of the things that have been offered or considered.
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February 13, 2014 ORAL QUESTIONS 26 QUESTIONS ORALES le 13 février 2014
Fee Increases
Mr. Gallant: The Minister of Finance has said that there are no raises in taxes or fees in his last budget. Would the Minister of Finance please indicate whether any fees will be raised in 2014- 15 and, if so, which ones?
Hon. Mr. Higgs: I indicated in the budget speech that we did not introduce any new fees. There are fees that came into place since ... (CLICK HERE) for full transcript.