The New Brunswick government is cracking down on parents who haven't been paying child support.

Beginning Feb. 11, the provincial Justice Department will be able to suspend driver's licences, access bank accounts through court order and hold companies owned by delinquent parents liable if payments are not being made.

"When people do not want to bring children into the world, they want to abandon that particular obligation," said Justice Minister T.J. Burke. "We feel as a government it's important to step up and assist the court in making sure those obligations are met."

When a parent is more than three months late with support payments, the government can begin to take action by first filing a report with the credit bureau.

As the measures progress, the government will eventually be able to access the bank accounts of non-payers through court orders.

"I expect the message will be received by some that, 'Hey, it's not so easy to get away from it anymore.' Hopefully child support will be up there on your list of things to pay," said Rosella Melanson, executive director of the New Brunswick Advisory Council on the Status of Women.

According to the Justice Department, there was $14 million in overdue child support payments in New Brunswick in 2007.

"It's recognizing these orders are real debts and they need to be paid up," Burke said. "We're treating it more seriously, which in and of itself is a good thing. I think it will help in increasing the collection rate of the province."

For women living in poverty, not receiving regular child support payments can throw an entire budget off balance, said Brenda Murphy, co-ordinator of the Saint John Urban Core Support Network.

"It might mean that they skip paying one bill one month because they're hoping next month they'll catch up," Murphy said. "So when someone is working a low-wage job, that kind of support is critical."