Low and steady: N.L. credit rating stable after spending cuts

Newfoundland and Labrador's credit rating is seeing a small improvement, going from negative to stable.

That's welcome news after a few recent downgrades from credit agencies.

• N.L. credit rating downgraded to lowest in Canada by bond rating agency Moody's
• High level of concern over N.L. provincial debt: CRA poll
• New budget doesn't change much for province's credit situation, says ratings agency

"[The rating is a] good indication that they have confidence in the plans that we have in place," Finance Minister Cathy Bennett told CBC News on Monday.

"And while we continue to have a significant deficit per capita and debt per capita, I'm pleased that the rating agencies believe that the work that we're doing is going incrementally in the right direction."

The Dominion Bond Rating Service (DBRS), an independent and privately held credit ratings agency, released its rating on Friday. It gave the province and its long-term debt rating an A (low) — this time last year, credit agency Moody downgraded the province from Aa2 to Aa3 — and confirmed all trends remain stable. 

"The ratings confirmation reflects DBRS's view that the considerable progress being made to reduce budgetary deficits and slow debt growth are sufficient to maintain financial metrics within an acceptable range for the current ratings," the agency posted on its website.

"An uncertain outlook for global commodity prices and continued cost overruns at the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric project present downside risks."

According to a press release from the provincial government, credit agency Standard & Poor (S&P) also affirmed the rating — giving it a long-term A and short-term A-1 — and revised its outlook from negative to stable.

Bennett said the credit ratings mean the cost of the province's borrowing will be contained, but added the government needs to continue working to improve the rating.

Right now, the province is spending more on interest and debt payments than education, Bennett said.

"It's a huge item of what we spend … so focusing on improving our ratings helps lower that and, in the long run, allows us to have more money for health, education, transportation, roadwork, etc."