Victor Boudreau gives last chance to weigh in on budget cuts

The New Brunswick government is giving citizens one last chance to weigh in on a series of unpopular ways to erase the province's deficit, according to a senior Liberal cabinet minister.

Ten public sessions will be held across the province in the next 10 days, where citizens will be asked specifically to rank what service cuts or new fees or taxes they would be willing to accept in the upcoming Feb. 2 budget.

Health Minister Victor Boudreau, who is the minister responsible for the strategic program review, said these sessions will help shape the final decisions being made in the Liberal government's second budget.

"People are very quick to tell us the choices that they don't want us to make but not so quick on telling us the choices that they are prepared to live with," he said on Monday.

Information Morning - Fredericton10:45Public meetings on budget cuts

Minister Victor Boudreau begins his public dialogue tonight on the cuts and revenues he needs to get rid of hundreds of millions in deficit.

"We have to address the fiscal situation of the province. The province has been in a deficit situation since 2007. That cannot continue."

In November, Finance Minister Roger Melanson said the 2015-16 deficit is estimated to be $453 million.

The Liberal government released its strategic program review document in November, which listed about $1 billion in various cuts or ways to boost revenue.

Boudreau said the Feb. 2 budget will need to detail $485 million worth of measures that will be implemented within the remainder of the Gallant government's mandate.

The November report listed about 30 options, such as hiking the Harmonized Sales Tax by two percentage points, putting tolls on various stretches of highway, or making cuts to health care and the public service.

Once the budget is released, Boudreau said the intention is to start moving beyond these tough decisions.

"We are going to do this once, we are going to do it right then we are going to turn the page and then we are going to stop talking about cuts to the civil service and cuts to government and we are going to start focusing on more positive things, moving forward, but we need to address the situation," he said.

More hearings are necessary

The Liberal cabinet minister also defended the idea of going back for another round of public meetings before the budget is released.

Boudreau spearheaded a similar round of consultation meetings last year and there was also a forum held in May to discuss some of the possible options. The provincial government also convened an advisory panel for the program review.

All of the feedback and advice was then used in the creation of the November report. Despite the previous hearings, Boudreau said he believes a final round of meetings is important.

"We are going to make the difficult choices that need to be made but I don't see any harm in asking the public for their feedback," he said.

"I would rather be, at the end of this process, be accused of having consulted too much then for not having consulted enough. We are simply giving them one last chance to have their say."

On social media, some people viewed the hearings this month a bit more cynically.