Houston budget misses opportunities to help Nova Scotia families

Halifax — Tim Houston will wrap up the spring sitting of the legislature without taking real action to help Nova Scotians find homes they can afford, or make a significant difference in providing people with primary health care they can count on.

The Houston government had the opportunity in this budget to expand midwifery services, help families and seniors afford their medications, and build new public housing.

“This Premier says he’s doing ‘more, faster’, but what we see from this budget in many cases is less and slower,” said NDP leader Claudia Chender. “We hear from the Houston government about how money is no object, except, apparently, when it is. We’re left wondering, where is the money for universal school lunch programs, or support for seniors on pharmacare who can’t afford the fees?”

This year’s budget included $1.5 billion of unanticipated revenue. These public funds could have been used to help Nova Scotians most in need.

“We have a ‘more, faster’ health care budget that misses the boat on the ‘better and sooner’ care that people truly need and that will lower costs and stressors on health care in the long run,” said Chender. “It’s disappointing that in this health care focused budget, we see few investments in new collaborative care options, no help for folks who can’t afford the contraceptives they need and no new money for mental health crisis response teams.”

The Houston government has also let another sitting go by without proclaiming the Coastal Protection Act or passing legislation to protect people from the misuse of non-disclosure agreements.

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