NDP platform focuses on fiscal responsibility
Last Updated: Monday, September 20, 2010 | 1:21 PM ET
CBC News
NDP Leader Roger Duguay is appealing to middle-class voters and warning them about the lavish spending promises made by his two chief rivals with the Sept. 27 election a week away.
In Moncton on Monday, the NDP leader revealed a party campaign platform that was focused on fiscal responsibility.
"More and more middle class families are struggling to get by in New Brunswick," Duguay said in a statement.
"But all the David Alward Conservatives and Shawn Graham Liberals offer us are reckless tax cuts that will gut core social programs like health care. The NDP offers a fiscally responsible alternative to safeguard the health care and education services middle class families need."
Duguay said his party will trim $304 million from the $749-million deficit, which he said compares to the roughly $400 million the other two parties are promising to add to the deficit in terms of new spending.
A NDP government would not raise or cut personal or corporate income taxes or the Harmonized Sales Tax.
Spending cuts
The NDP has already promised to hire a government efficiency officer that would be mandated to find areas to cut.
As well, Duguay said his so-called end to "March madness," when departments make unbudgeted expenditures in the final month of the fiscal year, would save more than $200 million.
Further, the party has promised to close the Department of Business New Brunswick, which would save $60 million and replace it with a tax credit that would be given to companies that created new jobs.
The NDP has been without a seat inside the legislative assembly since former leader Elizabeth Weir resigned in 2004.
Duguay is fighting to win a seat in the northeastern riding of Tracadie-Sheila.
The CBC/L'Acadie Nouvelle poll released on Monday showed that 24 per cent of respondents are supporting the Tories, 19 per cent favour the Liberals and nine per cent are lining up behind the NDP. The level of undecided voters stands at 40 per cent.
The survey was conducted by Corporate Research Associates between Sept. 15 and 18 with 1,005 New Brunswick voters. The results are considered accurate to within plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 95 times out of 100.
