New Brunswick’s fiscal reckoning looms as the province heads to the polls
One prominent economist calls it “the elephant in the room” of the New Brunswick election: The coming fiscal reckoning.
New Brunswick is what some might call a poor cousin of Confederation — it has the nation’s lowest median household income, and was the only province that recorded a population decline between 2011 and 2016.
It is blessed with spectacular scenery and natural resources, but its tax base is shrinking and the province has suffered through consecutive deficit budgets and staggering debt.
With a week left in the province’s election campaign, political leaders have promised a spate of measures they say will muscle the economy into shape and protect social services.