New Brunswick Legislative Assembly, Tuesday 17 March 2026
During this March 17, 2026 sitting, the House received the Main Estimates for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2027 from the Lieutenant-Governor, and the Minister of Finance and Treasury Board moved Motion 24 approving the government's budgetary policy. Finance Minister René Legacy delivered the Budget Address (Investing in New Brunswick), outlining a projected $1.39 billion deficit with major investments in health care, seniors and long-term care, affordability, housing, social supports, education, economic development, local governments, and public safety, alongside cost-saving measures and revenue-raising initiatives. Following the budget speech, debate was adjourned and scheduled to resume, and the House adjourned.
Routine Proceedings
Message from the Lieutenant-Governor transmitting the Main Estimates
Hon. Mr. Legacy
The Minister of Finance conveyed a message from Lieutenant-Governor Louise Imbeault transmitting the Main Estimates for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2027 and the Supplementary Estimates 2024-2025, Volume 2, recommending them to the House.
Government Motion for Ordering of Business and Adjournment
Mr. M. LeBlanc
Mr. M. LeBlanc, seconded by Hon. Ms. Holt, moved that consideration of the motion on the government's budgetary policy resume Thursday next and be added to the Orders of the Day until dispatched; the motion was carried, and the House then adjourned at 1:51 p.m.
Orders of the Day
Motion 24 — Approval of the government's budgetary policy
Hon. Mr. Legacy
Pursuant to notice of Motion 24, the Minister of Finance, seconded by Premier Holt, moved that the House approve in general the budgetary policy of the government, opening the budget debate.
Budget Address — Economic and fiscal overview
Hon. Mr. Legacy
Legacy presented Budget 2026-2027, projecting a $1.39 billion deficit with $14.24 billion in revenues and $15.63 billion in expenses, noting slowing population growth, trade uncertainty, and bright spots such as record housing starts and strong employment and income growth, with real GDP growth projected at 1.0% for 2026.
Budget Address — Investing in health care
Hon. Mr. Legacy
He announced $710 million more for health care (a 17.4% increase), including $170.4 million for the new physician services agreement, $5.4 million for medical education/recruitment, $30 million to expand collaborative care clinics, $50 million for a standardized clinical information system, $2.5 million for paramedic thrombolytics, $5 million for cancer screening, $3.5 million to double adult live-in addiction treatment capacity, and $2.9 million for the Alzheimer's and dementia strategy.
Budget Address — Seniors and long-term care
Hon. Mr. Legacy
Legacy outlined investments to help seniors age in place, including $10 million for home care affordability, $4 million for Nursing Home Without Walls, $29 million for previously committed long-term care spaces, $9.3 million to raise personal support worker wages, and $2.6 million to increase nursing home care hours, with a seniors and long-term care strategy to be released later in the month.
Budget Address — Affordability, housing and social supports
Hon. Mr. Legacy
He detailed investments including $10.2 million for wraparound supportive housing services, $17 million for a new Community Housing Retention and Expansion Program, $5 million more for the Energy Efficiency Fund (total $25 million), $98.1 million to maintain the 10% residential electricity rebate, $4.4 million to index social assistance rates, $675,000 to combat gender-based violence, and $1 million for Indigenous domestic outreach and transition house programming.
Budget Address — Education and children
Hon. Mr. Legacy
Legacy announced an additional $7 million to deliver a provincial school lunch program, building on the existing free breakfast program, with a pilot launching in the coming months and province-wide access for all students starting in September, supported by a provincial subsidy to cover costs beyond what parents contribute.
Budget Speech — Education Investments
The Minister of Finance
The Minister announced $19.3 million for additional educational assistants, $1.4 million for recruitment/retention and onboarding of teachers and support staff, and $5.8 million for academic support teachers, resource teachers, and guidance counsellors.
Budget Speech — Natural Resources and Energy
The Minister of Finance
The budget highlighted critical minerals development including the Sisson tungsten mine, the Comprehensive Minerals Strategy, and the Ports of Belledune and Saint John, plus a $9.9 million investment in 2026-2027 to prepare for additional nuclear development at Point Lepreau.
Budget Speech — Economic Growth and Business Support
The Minister of Finance
Investments included $2 million for the Agriculture Growth Action Plan, $750,000 for the Local Food and Beverages Program, $21 million to convert ONB's Competitiveness and Growth Pilot into a full program, $1 million for SME support, and $1 million each for the NB Innovation Foundation and Research NB.
Budget Speech — Tourism, Arts and Culture
The Minister of Finance
The budget invested $2 million toward a new five-year tourism strategy targeting $3.7 billion in annual spending, and $2.8 million for a new five-year arts and culture action plan, while noting the province's bilingual advantage for trade.
Budget Speech — Economic Plan and Small Business Tax Credit
The Minister of Finance
The Minister signalled forthcoming legislative amendments to the Small Business Investor Tax Credit and a full economic growth plan to be shared in coming weeks.
Budget Speech — Support for Local Governments and Communities
The Minister of Finance
The budget provided $141.1 million to support local governments (an increase of $47.5 million), $4.2 million for foreign credential recognition, and $250,000 to support forthcoming pay transparency legislation for large employers.
Budget Speech — Wildfire Preparedness
The Minister of Finance
The Minister announced $6.7 million to strengthen wildfire preparedness, converting 74 seasonal forest ranger positions to year-round roles and enhancing the contract with Forest Protection Limited to add new aircraft for wildfire suppression.
Budget Speech — Cost-Saving Measures and Fiscal Responsibility
The Minister of Finance
The Minister committed to reducing Part I of the civil service by approximately 12% over three years through attrition (up to $100 million in savings), reducing reliance on consultants, reviewing underutilized assets and small schools, closing/transferring heritage sites with low visitation, and phasing out provincial veterinary services.
Budget Speech — Revenue Measures
The Minister of Finance
New revenue measures included tolls on non-New Brunswick vehicles near Aulac (operational by 2028, ~$10.4 million annually for road/bridge maintenance), $1.2 million for a contraband tobacco enforcement team, $667,000 to combat illegal lobster sales, improved collection of money owed including student loans, and a review of property tax exemptions.
Budget Speech — Accountability, Consultations and Multi-Year Plan
The Minister of Finance
The Minister emphasized transparency, citing over 7,300 responses to public consultations, noting the civil service grew 13.9% versus 9.25% population growth (2020-2024), and outlined a multi-year plan to curb spending growth rather than making harsh immediate cuts, with quarterly fiscal updates and directives to Finance and Treasury Board staff to identify further savings.
Budget Speech — Conclusion
The Minister of Finance
The Minister concluded that New Brunswick is at a critical juncture, emphasizing investments in health care, education, the economy, and the most vulnerable, and that the province is worthy of investment as a member of Team Canada.
Adjournment of Budget Debate
Mr. Monahan
Mr. Monahan moved the adjournment of the budget debate.
This is Tabled's summary of the sitting, written from the official record; Hansard is only ever quoted at the link above. Search New Brunswick Hansard for the words themselves, or read this sitting in the archive.