Chender: Houston not doing enough to support Nova Scotians

HALIFAX – NDP Leader Claudia Chender made the following statement in response to the government’s public accounts released today for the 2022-23 fiscal year ending March 31, 2023:

“Despite massive spending and an unexpected surplus from increased tax revenues, most Nova Scotians have not seen an improvement in their access to healthcare or housing and continue to be hit by the impacts of rising costs.

While the Houston government said they would ‘spend what it takes’ to fix health care, over 140,000 Nova Scotians wait without a family doctor. Housing affordability and rental vacancies are at an all-time low. And today we discovered that the Premier ended last year with $115 million in extra funds that could help people now.

The Houston government could use their tax windfall to invest in non-market housing and expand housing programs to increase supply, remove family and seniors pharmacare fees, increase income assistance payments that have been frozen for over two years, and waive HST on all grocery food.”

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