Grits, PCs must 'come clean on cuts:' NDP

Last Updated: Friday, September 3, 2010 | 10:17 AM ET

CBC News

NDP Leader Roger Duguay said New Brunswick cannot afford to pay for all the campaign promises being made by the Liberals and Progressive Conservatives. (CBC)

The New Democratic Party is continuing its ongoing attack on the Progressive Conservatives and Liberals over the pricetag of the long list of campaign promises.

NDP Leader Roger Duguay said on Friday the two main party leaders need to "come clean about cuts."

"It is impossible for New Brunswick to pay for the Conservative and Liberal election promises without big cuts to front-line services like health care and education," Duguay said in a statement.

"Mr. Alward and Mr. Graham are disrespecting the people of New Brunswick by refusing to give details about what they will cut, until after the election."

The NDP have used the first week of the campaign to highlight how they would save government funding and not on what issues the party would invest in if elected.

The party is vowing to end so-called "March madness," when bureaucrats spend the rest of their budgets in the dying days of the fiscal year. The NDP said that initiative could save $210 million.

As well, the NDP is committing to hiring a government efficiency officer, who would be mandated to find wasteful or inefficient spending that could be cut. That promise, the party said, could save $75 million. New Brunswick's deficit is pegged at $749 million for 2010-11.

Donald Savoie, the Canada research chair in public administrative and governance, wrote in an analysis for CBC News at the start of the election campaign that the province could not afford lavish spending promises. Savoie argue the next provincial government would need to slash spending and hike taxes to avoid an economic crisis.

Duguay said the Tories and Liberals are not being honest with the electorate by refusing to say what areas they would cut.

"They are pretending we can afford billions in tax cuts and new spending without big cuts elsewhere, which is simply not true," Duguay's statement said.

The Tories have promised that, if elected on Sept. 27, they would not follow through with planned corporate tax cuts and tax reductions on the highest income bracket.

Further, Alward said he would set up a government office to cut bureaucratic waste.