The provincial government is defending their 2023 budget amidst heavy criticism from the opposition.

There was a lively response in the House of Assembly yesterday as opposition leader David Brazil announced his party would be voting against the budget.

Brazil contends that he is voting against no plan for health care, senior citizens not being given the value they deserve, among other things. Finance Minister Siobhan Coady counters that Brazil is voting against implementation of the Health Accord, transformation and modernization of the health care system, and new infrastructure.

NDP Leader Jim Dinn says his caucus won’t be supporting the budget either, and one of the main reasons is health care.

He says the budget doesn’t address the social determinants of health. While there are a lot of “one offs” in the budget, Dinn doesn’t believe they are enough.