New Brunswick Legislative Assembly, Friday 28 March 2025
On Friday, March 28, 2025, the New Brunswick House of Assembly continued and concluded debate on Motion 13, the budget motion, with Premier Susan Holt resuming the adjourned budget debate in an extensive address defending the government's first budget, emphasizing deliberate deficit spending to invest in health care, affordability, education, and the economy amid economic uncertainty from U.S. tariffs. The concluding budget presentation stressed accountability, transparency, economic retooling, support for traditional and new industries, critical minerals, and infrastructure investments. Motion 13 was carried, and the House proceeded through the Committee of Supply, granting supply to His Majesty and referring the estimates to the Standing Committee on Estimates and Fiscal Policy before adjourning until May 6.
Orders of the Day
Debate on Motion 13 — Budget Debate
Hon. Ms. Holt
Premier Susan Holt resumed the adjourned debate on Motion 13, thanking her constituents, family, caucus, and the civil service, and defending the government's first budget as a deliberate choice to run a deficit in order to invest in New Brunswickers. She outlined a $162 million tariff response package to address U.S. tariff impacts, and detailed priorities including transforming health care (10 new collaborative care clinics, primary care compensation, a new Clinical Information System), affordability measures (a 3% rent cap, HST removal on multiunit builds, NB Power review, housing investments), education stabilization (educational assistants, school meal programs, childcare spaces), and a focus on measurable outcomes and accountability metrics.
Budget speech conclusion – accountability and economic retooling
The Minister of Finance
The minister emphasized measuring progress on priority outcomes with online data, and outlined plans to retool New Brunswick's economy through investment in strategic infrastructure (ports, airports, digital), support for traditional and new industries, critical minerals for defence and the green economy, and creating conditions for growth while holding government accountable.
Motion 13 carried
Madam Speaker
The Speaker read the motion, put the question, and Motion 13 (the budget motion) was carried.
Committee of Supply – supply granted to His Majesty
Mr. M. LeBlanc
The House resolved into Committee of Supply with Mr. Bourque chairing; the motion that supply be granted to His Majesty was carried, and the committee reported the resolution back, which the House concurred in.
Referral of Estimates to Standing Committee
Mr. M. LeBlanc
Motions were carried to add consideration of estimates in Committee of Supply to the Orders of the Day until dispatched, and to refer the Main Estimates 2025-2026, Capital Estimates 2025-2026, and Supplementary Estimates 2023-2024 Volume I to the Standing Committee on Estimates and Fiscal Policy.
Adjournment
Madam Speaker
The House adjourned at 9:37 a.m. until May 6.
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