MONCTON, N.B.
— New Brunswick's Liberal leader challenged her Progressive Conservative opponent on Wednesday night to explain how his plan to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes will help fund a health system struggling to care for a growing population.
When fully implemented, the tax cut will cost $450 million a year, a number Holt said will put services at risk, especially health care, at a time when tens of thousands of residents are without a family doctor — and the province's population is growing rapidly, mostly by immigration. Higgs said Holt's suggestion that his policies were leading to private health care is baseless —"no foundation whatsoever."
Green Party Leader David Coon, meanwhile, said his party would end the centralization and privatization of the health system, promising to grant more autonomy to regional hospitals. New Brunswick has one safe injection site in Moncton, and in response to a moderator's question about whether a Liberal government would open more, Holt said she was not aware of any applications for others."But what we do need is real treatment for people who are struggling," she said.
A highly contentious issue in the province is a requirement by the Higgs government that teachers get permission of parents before they can use the preferred names and pronouns of students under 16. Higgs said this policy respects"parents rights," while his critics say it discriminates against trans youth.
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