Skip to content

The Higgs government continues to miss the mark on estimates, touts large surpluses at the expense of health and education services, and leaves federal dollars on the table. New Brunswickers deserve sound fiscal management. They also deserve a government that works for them and provides adequate services throughout the province. 

economicdev

A Holt Government will:

  • Balance the budget in each year of our mandate.

Our economy is experiencing workforce shortages across the board, whether it’s radiologists, bus drivers, plumbers, cashiers, or IT specialists. These labour gaps not only affect our services but also impact our
economic growth and community development.

A Holt Government will:

  • Provide grants to New Brunswickers who have studied to work in high-priority fields, including healthcare, the building trades, and education.
  • Focus immigration pathways on critical labour needs like healthcare, building trades and education, and supporting newcomers to make New Brunswick home. 
  • Review and simplify the foreign credential recognition process and let people get to work. 
  • Phase in pay equity in the private and care sector, using a model similar to Quebec and Ontario. 
  • Support unemployed and underemployed New Brunswickers to upskill the labour force. 

Past governments have missed too many opportunities to grow and diversify our economy. The Higgs Conservatives have refused to invest in innovation and growth even when federal and private sector dollars were on the table, along with an excellent return for taxpayer investment.

A Holt Government will:

  • Leverage our opportunities and strengths to invest in the right sectors at the right time including emerging opportunities in energy, technology, agriculture, and manufacturing.
  • Deliver an energy plan that provides affordable, reliable, clean energy for New Brunswickers and New Brunswick businesses. 
    • While we move to a 100 percent non-emitting grid, we will work with the federal government to ensure big emitters bear the brunt of the price on carbon.
  • Close cell coverage and high-speed internet gaps across the province.
  • Increase productivity by reviewing and improving investment tax credits like SBITC and scientific research and economic development (SR/ED) credits to ensure investments in research, automation, and technology.
  • Increase New Brunswick exports by diversifying our international markets and working with our Canadian neighbours to remove trade and credential barriers posing economic roadblocks.
  • Consider arts and culture as important economic and social drivers. Better leverage opportunities to invest in our artists, cultural and creative industries, and institutions to ensure good-paying jobs and a robust creative economy that all New Brunswickers can be proud of.
  • Support the transition committee’s work on the Status of the Artist.
  • Maximize the benefit of infrastructure to New Brunswickers by leveraging an asset management plan for transportation infrastructure to ensure roads and bridges are prioritized for repair or replacement and that contractors are paid on time.