PCs unveil platform, pledge $26M in spending on long-term disability for nurses

The Progressive Conservative party issued its election platform on Saturday evening, shortly after pledging $26 million in long-term disability funding for nurses.

The two-page platform includes one page of campaign promises already announced, including a reduction in the harmonized sales tax to 13 per cent over two years. A second page lists highlights of Higgs's six years as premier. 

It also reiterates earlier promises, such as expanding the scope of practice for nurses, paramedics and pharmacists, balancing the budget, forcing those with an addiction into treatment if they pose a danger to themselves or others, and litigating against title claims by First Nations. 

The platform has an estimated cost of $1.7 billion over four years. 

"No one, I think, can deny we have a record to run on," Higgs told reporters on Saturday. "Was I going to develop a platform to try to buy your vote? No. I believe we've developed a government. We have a government that has actually delivered."  

Higgs's comments came the same day as promises to spend $26 million to cover 50 per cent of long-term disability premiums for registered nurses in the next two years and to strike a working group "to address working conditions in the nursing profession." 

It was a change of pace for the PC leader, who spent his first three campaign weeks leaning on one big promise rather than making new commitments with new costs attached. 

The promise also comes after union members rejected the last tentative agreement in September.

At the time, New Brunswick Nurses Union president Paula Doucet said there were some concerns around the long-term disability plan and benefits.

Speaking with reporters after casting his ballot in Quispamsis Saturday afternoon, Higgs said he only became aware that long-term disability was a concern for nurses after the offer was rejected.

"We've heard the concerns, we understand that we must make an effort to try and fix this," he said. "It's a commitment from me personally, and it's a commitment of taking action that is meaningful and getting results."

Surprise, disappointment

But Doucet said she was surprised and disappointed by Saturday's announcement. 

"I think it's too bad that we wouldn't have had these meaningful conversations before the writ dropped," she said in an interview. "There's been no shortage on my end of asking to have conversations with the premier."

Doucet worries the PC proposal is unlikely to work in practice because the plan is funded by nurses and other workers outside the profession. 

"It's fully funded by the employees, and the moment that the employer starts to input money it changes the plan design," Doucet said.

"It would not only affect nurses but other unions and non-unionized workers that are in the plan. So I don't think Mr. Higgs can make that statement without actually knowing full well what our plan design is."

She's also skeptical about the proposed working group. 

"It took the call of an election for him to actually speak directly to nurses," she said.

"He's been in power for how many years, and he didn't listen to anything that we were asking for up until this point, so why would this make it different?"

The PCs are the last of the parties with a legislature seat at dissolution to issue their platform, after the Liberals and Greens.