QUESTION PERIOD AT THE NEW BRUNSWICK LEGISLATURE!!! < Mercredi >

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013 10:55
Employment
Mr. S. Graham: My first question this morning is for the Minister of Business New Brunswick. It
is evident to the people of New Brunswick that this government has lost its focus on providing wellpaid
jobs and economic opportunity for our citizens. During its first mandate, this government
claimed to have a Prosperity Plan that would deliver real results for New Brunswickers by 2012. We
are now four years into this plan, and it is clear from the government’s own numbers that it is failing
to deliver. The Prosperity Plan, in fact, has turned into the 0 for 7 plan for the last seven years of this
government’s mandate.
On page 5 of the latest so-called progress report for Year Four, we find that New Brunswickers are,
in fact, working more and taking home less pay. Can the Minister of Business New Brunswick tell
this House and tell New Brunswickers why they are working harder for less money while this
government is in power?
Hon. Mr. MacDonald: I am honoured to have two questions in as many days. Here, I was thinking
that the old tax-and-spend Liberal Party was not interested in the business community of this
province. Wait a minute. They are not, because if they were truly interested in the business
community of this province, they would have supported our budget.
014 11:00
They would have supported a budget that took some 50 000 people off the tax rolls of this province,
putting more money in their pockets, helping our economy to grow, and helping different sectors
of our economy to grow. Let’s talk specifically about his question. Let’s stop and recognize . . .
(Interjection.)
Mr. Speaker: Order.
Hon. Mr. MacDonald: Muzzle the dogs, Mr. Speaker.
I think it is important to note that last year our exports in this province grew by 13%. That is an
increase of $1.2 billion last year alone. That is more than the growth of all the . . .
Mr. Speaker: Time.
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Mr. S. Graham: I have to say that New Brunswickers would be disappointed in the response of the
Minister of Business New Brunswick today. For a gentleman, who is supposed to be in charge of
economic development in New Brunswick, to make the partisan and rhetorical attacks that he is
making this morning, is not very becoming of a minister.
My question to the minister is very clear. The whole concept of the Prosperity Plan was to close the
gap between New Brunswick and the Canadian average. Today, according to your own Prosperity
Plan, New Brunswickers were to expect a 7% increase in their real personal income within 10 years.
If we were to follow the linear progress, we would be expecting a 10% achievement that your
government set out which would be a percentage point year over year. In fact, New Brunswickers,
four years into this plan, have seen that the real personal income has decreased rather than increased.
I know that the Minister of Finance is now providing you with some briefing notes and that is good
to see, because from the last answer, it is easy to see that you are not on top of this file. Can the
Minister of Business New Brunswick tell this House how this government expects to have any
economic credibility at all, when it cannot deliver its increased personal incomes it promised to New
Brunswickers in the Prosperity Plan?
Hon. Mr. MacDonald: The Leader of the Opposition seems to have a problem with the definition
of certain words. Perhaps if we could respectfully instruct one of the pages to get him a dictionary,
he would find that it is not rhetoric, but rather it is fact. It is fact that our economy, our exports, last
year alone grew by $1.2 billion. That is an increase larger than the growth rate of all the other
exports in Atlantic Canada combined. You do not have to take my word for it. Go to StatsCan. That
is where you are going to find that fact.
Mr. S. Graham: Maybe the minister did not understand the question. The question was very simple.
The fact is that real personal income—that is, total income that has been adjusted for inflation—in
this province has decreased under this government’s Prosperity Plan. That is the question and the
statistic we were talking about on your government’s credibility. In fact, not only has this income
decreased, but the gap has widened in New Brunswick compared to the Canadian average. In fact,
in the year 2000, it was 14.4% and today it is now 15%. That is the gap that exists between what
New Brunswickers take home in pay compared to the rest of the country.
My question to you, Mr. Premier—answer the question: Why is your Prosperity Plan failing?
Hon. Mr. MacDonald: I certainly want to thank the member opposite for the promotion. Clearly,
perhaps the dictionary will not be any good because I am afraid the member opposite cannot read
at all. If he could, he would read in the business section of the Telegraph-Journal of Friday, March
31, that: “The only other province where family income increased was New Brunswick, where is
also rose four per cent, but to only $46,400.”
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Mr. Speaker: I would remind members once again to show respect of the House. I do not accept
when we say that our citizens cannot read, or are not paying attention, and question our intelligence.
I will not accept it. It is unacceptable. I remind all the members to show respect. You are elected
members for your ridings. I will not accept any more.
015 11:05
Also, questions go through the Chair. I will not accept any more personal insults going back and
forth. This House will not accept that. Do I make myself clear?
Mr. S. Graham: I have another question for the Minister of Business New Brunswick. Mr. Speaker,
I appreciate the fact that you have instructed the minister to stop the personal insults, because this
morning the questions are very clear to make sure that New Brunswickers have this government
honour its promise in the Prosperity Plan which, in fact, is failing, while it should be putting more
money in their pockets. That is the question that this minister has failed to answer.
I appreciate, Mr. Speaker, that you are allowing us to ask that question. We know that this
government likes to talk about its so-called tax cuts, but if it was really cutting taxes, if it was really
delivering tax relief, rather than giving with one hand and taking more with the other, why are the
disposable incomes of New Brunswickers going down, rather than going up? That is the question
that the minister has not answered today. According to the government’s own figures, the real
disposable income of New Brunswickers, the money that is supposed to be left over after taxes, is
decreasing rather than increasing. I would like to ask the minister to tell this Chamber why that fact
remains in this province, and why his Prosperity Plan is failing the people of New Brunswick.
Hon. Mr. MacDonald: Does this mean that I am no longer the Premier?
I think this is an important question, and I would like to get to the root of the matter here. What,
exactly, is the member opposite against? Is he against the work that we have been undertaking to
create opportunities with the aquaculture and seafood industry in this province? Is he against the
work that we have undertaken with the metalworking sector in this province to develop and grow
opportunities for New Brunswickers? Is he against the work that we have been doing with valueadded
forest products in this province? Is he against the $250 million that we are committing over
the next five years to the forest industry? All these opportunities will help to develop growth and
opportunities for the people of New Brunswick. When they have increased opportunities, wages
increase as well. I want to know exactly what he is against in this budget.
Mr. S. Graham: The fact is that New Brunswickers cannot identify any real legacy or any real
progress associated with this government. The Prosperity Plan sets out six goals, with definable
targets, that were to be achieved within 10 years. At this point in time, according to this minister’s
own documentation from his department, the government is not on track to meet any of the six goals
defined in this plan. The minister asks what we are against. We are against the fact that the rest of
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the country is growing faster, the rest of the country is seeing more disposable income in their
citizens’ pockets, and New Brunswick is falling behind. I can tell you today that New Brunswick
cannot wait. That is why this government has to be held accountable for its inaction.
Hon. Mr. MacDonald: I am not sure that, in fact, that was a question, but I certainly would like the
opportunity to respond to it. I just want to single out one of the sectors that I was referring to in my
last statement. For example, there is the initiative that we undertook with ACOA, with the private
sector, to develop opportunities in the value-added forest products sector. I cannot tell you how
proud I was as the Minister of Business New Brunswick, and how proud I was as a New
Brunswicker, when I had the opportunity to go to Lawrence, Massachusetts to see 15 value-added
companies competing in a global market place, and 11 of those 15 companies come from right here
in New Brunswick. The New Brunswick economy is growing, not because of the Liberals, but in
spite of them.
Mr. S. Graham: I have to say that the facts speak for themselves. The minister talks about valueadded
production. Value-added production takes research and development and investments. In fact,
New Brunswick was supposed to be among the top four provinces in per capita R and D spending,
as identified in this government’s Prosperity Plan. Its own document, released this year, shows that
we are now in 10th place—last in the country. The minister likes to say that we are moving forward.
The problem is that the rest of the country is moving forward faster, and New Brunswickers have
less income in their pockets to show for it. That is the problem.
016 11:10
Our economy, under this government, was supposed to be catching up with the rest of Canada.
Instead, we are falling further behind.
Since the Minister of Business New Brunswick has not answered one question today and, instead,
has given this Chamber tired political rhetoric on the eve of a provincial election that this
government so desperately does not want, my question to the Deputy Premier is this. Why is your
government failing to meet any of the targets outlined in the Prosperity Plan?
Hon. Mr. MacDonald: I would like to think that the member opposite has looked a bit into what
comprises the New Brunswick economy. If he has done so, he will realize that a full three-quarters
of everything that this province produces is exported outside of this jurisdiction, either to another
Canadian jurisdiction or into the United States. In fact, a full 90% of everything we export goes to
the U.S., 60% of that to New England alone. That is why we have been developing opportunities
in those sectors, in those communities, for New Brunswickers. Despite what the member opposite
says, the New Brunswick economy is growing. The proof is with Statistics Canada: There was a
$1.2-billion increase last year alone. That represents 13%. For the first time ever, our exports have
exceeded $10 billion—$10 billion with a “b”. The New Brunswick economy is growing.
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Mr. S. Graham: The sad reality remains that the government’s so-called Prosperity Plan is not
working. This government will not acknowledge the fact that the rest of the Canadian economy is
growing faster than our province’s economy. That is the issue that we are raising today. The fact
remains that while New Brunswickers are working harder, they are taking home less pay. The
minister will not acknowledge that. The concern that we are raising is that, while this economy is
stagnating compared to the rest of the Canadian economies, we have a government that is now out
on a spending spree.
In fact, in January 2006, this government made just over $2 million in spending announcements with
taxpayers’ dollars. In February 2006, this government made just over $4 million in announcements.
However, in the last two weeks of March 2006, this government made over $359 million in spending
announcements. Can the Deputy Premier confirm this morning that this dramatic increase in
government spending announcements is part of this government’s reelection campaign? Very
clearly, it did not work in Shediac—Cap-Pelé, it did not work in Saint John Harbour, and the
people . . .
Mr. Speaker: State the question.
Hon. D. Graham: I am certainly pleased to stand in the House today to thank the federal
government for the partnership that we have developed in the past few months. Certainly, the feds
have come on board. We have announced different projects that we have been working on, as a
province, for two years. In the past two months, we have announced a lot of these, and there are
more to come. I appreciate the fact that the Premiers are in Montréal today and what that will mean
for New Brunswickers. The Leader of the Opposition does not understand giving back to the people.
That is our plan. In the province of New Brunswick, we believe in people. We believe in tax
reduction. We believe in more money for health care and education, and we are very proud of that.
Mr. S. Graham: The charade has to end. We have a government that, in two weeks, makes $259
million in spending announcements with taxpayers’ dollars. We have the Minister of Post-Secondary
Education and Training standing up at a nonpartisan event, and the first words out of his mouth are:
Let’s have an election. Then he informs the crowd that he has opened a bank account with a credit
union for his reelection. This is not how ministers of the Crown are supposed to act.
(Interjections.)
Mr. Speaker: Order, please.
Mr. S. Graham: If this government wants an election, it should be forthright with the people of
New Brunswick, because we, on this side of the Chamber, are prepared to present our platform to
the people of New Brunswick.
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My question to the Deputy Premier is this. Will the Deputy Premier tell the Premier that we expect
an answer in this House tomorrow, once he returns from his jaunt to Montréal, regarding the
question of his intention to call a spring election?
017 11:15
Mr. Speaker: I would caution the Leader of the Opposition against personal attacks. This is the first
warning.
Hon. D. Graham: I know that the Premier returns to the Legislature tomorrow morning, and I am
sure his first statement, the first chance he has to address the House, will certainly be an update on
the past two days of meetings with the First Ministers. Certainly, at this time, I fail to understand
why the critic from Moncton North, being the critic for finance, was not involved in this mission.
I know that the Premier wrote to the Leader of the Opposition to ask for pairing, so I fail to
understand. I certainly appreciate the fact that the independent member realizes the importance of
the Premier being with his colleagues, promoting our province.
Economic Development
Mr. Lamrock: I want to talk about research and development spending a little bit today. I know it
is not a catchy phrase; “good jobs and good wages” is. The key to good jobs and good wages—and
we are falling behind in this province—is putting more into R and D. The fact is, it is R and D that
transforms factories from competing on wages to competing on higher-end jobs and knowledge jobs.
It is R and D that allows us to make more of our natural resources. It is R and D that holds the key
to attracting investment from outside.
Most of the business development funds, whether we are talking about the Chaleur fund or another,
have, in many years, spent nothing on R and D in grants to companies. The New Brunswick
Innovation Foundation, in the past 12 months, has spent less than $1 million on grants to companies
for higher-end jobs. There has to be more potential activity than this in New Brunswick.
My question is for the Minister of Business New Brunswick. When he hears that we spend zero from
most funds on R and D, and less than $1 million from the NBIF, is he satisfied that that is the level
of spending that is right for the amount of potential in New Brunswick?
Hon. Mr. MacDonald: Of course, we could just throw money at everyone who comes along, but
we want to assess each of these projects on a case-by-case basis, because we do want to be prudent
fiscal managers. The members opposite have no concept of this, but we, on this side of the House,
will continue to be prudent fiscal managers of the taxpayers’ dollars here in New Brunswick.
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Mr. Lamrock: I am all for prudence, but if you cannot find, in a given year, one single company
worth spending high-tech dollars on—if you cannot find one company you believe in—that is way
too little. That means you have blown it over the past seven years, I would say.
Dans l’État du Maine, nous avons vu un nouveau plan d’investissement qui met plus de 75 millions
de dollars dans leurs industries du savoir. Également, elle va dépenser plus de 40 millions de dollars
dans les recherches médicales, soit plus que 10 fois le montant que le Nouveau-Brunswick a dépensé
pendant tout son mandat.
Donc, je sais bien que le ministre peut être au courant de ce dossier. Dans son dernier plan, quelles
sont les étapes prises par l’État du Maine? Quelle est sa réponse? Le ministre est-il au courant des
activités de notre voisin et qu’a-t-il fait pour assurer que nous allons relever le défi?
Hon. Mr. MacDonald: Which is it? The Liberals are trying to be all things to all people. In one
statement, they accuse us of spending too much money. In the next statement, they accuse us of not
spending enough. Which is it? From which side of their faces are they speaking?
The fact remains that we have put more money into innovation, into R and D, than any government
of the past in this province.
Mr. Lamrock: That might be befitting an after-dinner speech to a company, but it is not up to the
standard I would expect from a minister. He knows full well that they did not spend anything on
research and development. He has expressed so little confidence in companies; he says that to spend
a single dollar on R and D in the north would be throwing it away. Then, he cannot tell us one single
thing that Maine did. He does not even know that in Maine, they have a new seed capital fund to
invest in research and development, to help companies do it.
We have a serious capital problem; we do not get the same grants as other places. We know full well
that Maine is now giving tax credits to those who invest in the early stages, helping companies with
high-risk, low-return research at the start. We know full well that Iowa and Wisconsin have angel
investor tax credits, to lure capital from outside and to give tax credits to those who invest in
companies.
018 11:20
The minister knows full well that none of that is in this budget. Let us see if he can rise above the
level of an after-dinner speaker. What is the pitch that he would make to lure angel investors and
high-tech researchers to New Brunswick when he knows full well that he does not give them the tax
credits that our neighbours are beating us with?
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Hon. Mr. MacDonald: This certainly is not intended to be a personal attack, but the member
opposite is very familiar with after-dinner speeches, because his waistline is expanding as quickly
as mine.
Mr. Speaker: Minister of Business New Brunswick, please, no personal insults, whether it be for
other members or for you. Please have a little respect. Thank you.
Hon. Mr. MacDonald: Of course, I only used that to segue into the importance of the wellness
regimen that the Premier has initiated in the Five in Five strategy, but I digress.
We have been making those strategic investments to develop the economy of this province. As a
case in point, I use the special funds that have been set aside to develop the economies in regions
of this province like Restigouche-Chaleur, the Acadian Peninsula, and the Miramichi, an area of
which I know, Mr. Speaker, you are very aware and proud, as all of us are. We are making those
strategic investments to help develop opportunities for all New Brunswickers. The Premier said on
more than one occasion that New Brunswick will only be strong when all the regions of New
Brunswick are strong. We believe that. I was in Campbellton a while back to have the opportunity
to participate in the opening of SNC-Lavalin and certainly see what it is doing to grow the economy
of the north. We will continue to work on projects like that to develop opportunities in the north.
Physicians
Mr. Foran: My question is for the Minister of Health. For more than six months, the people of
Miramichi have been alarmed at the steady stream of physicians and specialists leaving the
Miramichi. We have lost surgeons, general practitioners, and especially internists. The former
minister assured us last September that we were gaining physicians, but since then, the situation has
continued to get worse. When the Lord government announced the health plan, the Miramichi
Regional Hospital had six internists and a new pacemaker program. Since then, our pacemaker
program has been canceled as a result of two specialists leaving. In addition, this week, we have
learned that the fifth internist will be leaving before the summer. My question is this: Your
government has failed the people of the Miramichi. When will you act to restore the internal
medicine service to the people of the Miramichi?
Hon. Mr. Green: This government has an exceptional record over the course of almost seven years
of recruiting and retaining physicians in New Brunswick. We are now at net numbers of
approximately 214 or 215 net new doctors since 1999. I am aware of some of the particular
pressures within Region 7 on the Miramichi, and our department is working with the regional health
authority there not only to retain doctors for that region, but also to recruit new ones. That is a
responsibility that we take very seriously.
Mr. Foran: I am disappointed in the lack of an answer, because it is plain to me again that the
minister gave a political answer, putting politics before people once again.
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(Interjections.)
Mr. Speaker: Order.
Mr. Foran: A little over a year ago, our consecrated care unit, CCU, had a specialist in internal
medicine on call 24 hours per day. Now, there are many times when no specialist is available to care
for the patients in CCU. I would like a very clear answer to my question. What is the minister doing
to ensure the safety of these critically ill patients?
019 11:25
Hon. Mr. Green: It is hardly a political answer to talk about the actual record of achievement of
government in the area of physician recruitment and retention. The fact is that 214 to 215 more
doctors are working in New Brunswick today than there were in 1999. That is the case
provincewide. I acknowledged in my initial answer to the member’s question that I know there are
particular pressures in the Miramichi. I stated in my initial answer that our department is working
closely with the regional health authorities to address those pressures in terms of physician retention
and recruitment, and will continue doing that.
Mr. Foran: My final supplementary to the minister. Again, he has not answered my question. We
are down from six internists to one in the Miramichi. I was trying to be very clear to get an answer.
Last September, the former Minister of Health assured us that we had more doctors on the
Miramichi than ever before. The numbers just do not add up. The Lord government has cut health
care services, or is allowing them to disappear as a result of its neglect and failure in recruitment and
retention of doctors and specialists. People from northern New Brunswick and the Miramichi are
expected to travel long distances, at great expense, to access the services they need. The Minister
of Health is blocking his own department’s estimates because he does not want us to see what is
missing in the budget to address the service gaps on the Miramichi.
Will the minister inform this House of his plans for physician recruitment and retention on the
Miramichi, or admit that his plan is to continue to neglect this issue until our CCU in the Miramichi
Regional Hospital is forced to close its doors? There is one internist left.
(Applause.)
Hon. Mr. Green: Thanks for that thunderous round of applause for their colleague to die down.
It is absolutely ridiculous to suggest that this government has reduced services in health care. It is
quite the opposite. Under the provincial health plan, since Healthy Futures was introduced in 2004,
we have invested almost $50 million in new and enhanced services provincewide, certainly
including the Miramichi and northern New Brunswick. Some examples for this new fiscal year are:
$6.7 million is being invested in Bathurst for the new surgical suite, and close to $1 million is being
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invested in Tracadie for the upgrade of their Emergency Room. Our record on the recruitment and
retention of physicians is far better than that of our predecessors.
Prescription Drugs
Mr. V. Boudreau: My questions today are also for the Minister of Health. In 2002, a young man
in Saint John died from a drug overdose. A coroner’s inquest at the time recommended that an
electronic prescription drug monitoring program be put in place. The Liberal opposition was quick
to act as advocates on behalf of such a program. It was actually part of our Liberal platform in 2003.
This government mentions a prescription drug monitoring program in its health plan, but we are now
two years into the health plan and there still has been no movement, or very little movement, I
should say, despite the fact that Nova Scotia started on this in 2004 and are now online with a test
system. Can the minister please confirm to us today what exactly his plans are—a concrete
timetable—for an electronic prescription drug monitoring program in New Brunswick?
Hon. Mr. Green: It is not at all accurate to suggest that there has been no movement or even little
movement. There has been considerable movement toward the establishment of a prescription drug
monitoring program in New Brunswick. Just within the last few days, at a meeting with the New
Brunswick Pharmacists’ Association, they indicated to me not only their support, but their pleasure
at how the planning is moving forward.
In terms of a concrete timetable, there will be a prescription drug monitoring program in place in
New Brunswick between the next 12 and 24 months.
Mr. V. Boudreau: If there were a Liberal government in New Brunswick right now, we would have
this program in place.
Last year, a specialist from Nova Scotia indicated that New Brunswick could save $100 million a
year if there was an electronic prescription drug monitoring program in place, as well as an
electronic patient record. Obviously, the Prescription Drug Program is the first step toward an
electronic patient record. As we all know, New Brunswick is the worst in Atlantic Canada for the
hillbilly heroin that is OxyContin. There are more prescriptions in New Brunswick than anywhere
else in Atlantic Canada for this drug.
020 11:30
There are more prescriptions in New Brunswick than anywhere else in Atlantic Canada for this drug.
There is an abuse of prescription drugs, referred to as “double doctoring”, where New Brunswickers
go to see more than one doctor to get prescriptions.
Can the minister confirm this? I know the government has not been willing to bring its estimates
forward yet. The minister keeps talking about his wonderful estimates, but he is not bringing them
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forward. Could the minister please indicate today how much money is targeted in this year’s budget
to specifically address the question of an electronic prescription drug monitoring program?
Hon. Mr. Green: The people of New Brunswick, based on past experience, know exactly what they
would be getting today if there were a Liberal government. They would be getting higher taxes,
certainly not the tax cuts, for individuals and businesses, that are contained in our latest budget and
in all of our budgets back to 1999. They know that they would be getting less, not more, in areas like
health care, education, economic development, and transportation.
On this issue, I will be glad to address the specifics of our department’s spending plans when we
begin our department’s estimates. I will repeat: A prescription monitoring program has been in place
in New Brunswick for between 12 and 24 months. That is only part of the work we are doing in
developing the electronic health record.