Social Development Minister Defends Budget

New Brunswick’s social development minister is clarifying what she calls “misinterpretation” in the department’s budget.

Opposition parties have criticized the Tories for spending less on things like child welfare and disability support services.

But Dorothy Shephard says the estimates for 2019-20 are being compared to the revised figures from 2018-19 rather than the original estimate.

“Budget to budget, we’ve actually increased those two lines by $30 million,” said Shephard.

“The fact is that during the year, there can be unforeseen expenditures that can be put in, and that’s what they were looking it when it comes to the revised budget.”

A total of $313.9 million has been set aside for child welfare and disability support services in 2019-20; the estimate for 2018-19 was $283.5 million but was later revised to $316.8 million.

Income security — which includes social assistance — will see its funding drop by $10 million in 2019-20.

Shephard said it is not because benefits are being cut, but rather the number of recipients has gone down.

“Social assistant recipients have moved on from social assistance to the workforce and seniors, when they reach 65, they go on to the senior benefits program,” she said.

Meanwhile, it has been several weeks since a pair of reports were released calling for major changes to New Brunswick’s child protection system.

Shephard said they are hoping to implement some of the recommendations as part of this year’s budget.

“We are still going through the Savoury report and pulling together the recommendations and how we can address them and what those costs will be,” she said.