Reducing Poverty

We must place the well-being and dignity of New Brunswickers at the heart of all government decisions. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted many social inequalities. The Green Party is committed to reinforcing the social safety net and reducing poverty. 

A Green government would:

• Implement a Guaranteed Liveable Income with the support of the federal government, beginning with a pilot project for people living with a disability.
• Increase social assistance rates by 11 per cent for single people and by 8.3 per cent for families.
• Abolish social assistance rules that claw back benefits from people sharing housing.
• Increase the financing of legal aid services so it is on par with Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
• Create a public automobile insurance system since the Financial and Consumer Services Commission has not guaranteed fair and affordable insurance.
• Fully subsidize the Housing First initiatives in Fredericton, Moncton, and Saint John, and provide portable rent supplements to renters instead of landowners.
• Invest in affordable housing in rural areas, maintaining public housing and rent subsidies.
• The pandemic has made us realize who are the essential workers in our communities. Many earn minimum wage, or slightly more, which does not come close to reflecting the social value of their work. 

A Green government would:

• Immediately increase minimum wage to $15 and index it to the rate of inflation, and provide support to small businesses so they can adapt to the new salary requirements.   
• Abolish the changes made by the Higgs government to the Essential Services in Nursing Homes Act to ensure that nursing home workers have the right to a fair and effective negotiation process. 
• Increase salaries for homecare and childcare workers.
• Prohibit the replacement of workers during a strike or lock-out.  
• Guarantee paid sick leave, vacation, and paid overtime for all workers covered by the Employment Standards Act.