25 MARCH 2013

In laying out his expectations for tomorrow's budget, Green Party leader David Coon says it must ensure that people and their communities come first, warning the government's efforts to bring revenues and expenditures back into balance cannot be merely a matter of arithmetic.

 The Green Party has maintained the fairest approach to redressing New Brunswick's structural deficit is to rescind the personal and corporate income tax cuts made in the 2009 budget, which at the time the Party predicted would create the structural deficit the province now carries.

 "The budget represents the priorities of government, which must be rooted in caring, sharing and respect for the earth," said David Coon, Green Party Leader. "Yes we need to get back to balanced books, but we need to ensure that the most vulnerable among us are well cared for, that the wealthiest among us pay their fair share, and that our peoples and our planet are well-served," said Coon.

 "This budget needs to help us localize our economy, to keep the wealth generated in New Brunswick circulating within our communities," said David Coon, Green Party leader. "The budget must lay the foundation for a future in which New Brunswickers' needs for finance, energy, food, and leisure are met on a more local and regional basis to revitalize our communities and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels," said Coon.