Three government agencies may soon see their doors close as Finance Minister Blaine Higgs moved to end New Brunswick’s runaway deficits.

Higgs outlined the Progressive Conservative government’s first budget on Tuesday and curtailed spending across many provincial departments to reduce the provincial deficit.

While many of the province’s largest departments did not face significant cuts, some of its smallest agencies saw their budgets wiped out.

The Advisory Council on the Status of Women, the Secretariat for Community Non-Profit Organizations and the Provincial Capital Commission each saw their relatively small budgets erased in the 2011-12 budget.

The advisory council, which had been an arm’s length agency of government, will have its $418,000 budget eliminated and its responsibilities rolled into the Executive Council Office, which is the central agency controlled by the premier.

The Secretariat for Community Non-Profit Organizations, which was created by the former Liberal government, is seeing its $378,000 budget dry up and it will be moved back inside the Department of Social Development.

The Provincial Capital Commission, which was originally created by the former Bernard Lord government, will see its $414,000 budget slashed. It, however, may stay in business if it can secure external funding.

Higgs is projecting a $448-million deficit in the upcoming fiscal year, down from the $739-million deficit in 2010-11.

Higgs cut spending by 1.6 per cent from its 2010-11 budget.