Press Release: Nova Scotia Alternative Budget 2023: Leave No One Behind

March 15, 2023

 

Halifax/Kjipuktuk -The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives-Nova Scotia (CCPA-NS) released the Nova Scotia Alternative Budget 2023: Leave No On Behind. The Nova Scotia Alternative Budget is a collaborative project involving stakeholders from many sectors of our province, including front-line service organizations, other non-profit organizations, and academics with diverse expertise. It includes a set of fiscal policy measures in a workable budget considering the province's fiscal, social, environmental, and economic realities. It is framed to ensure that budgetary choices advance social and economic justice, and environmental sustainability. The 2023 Nova Scotia Alternative Budget’s top priorities are: Dealing with the Healthcare Crisis, Addressing Social and Economic Inequalities, Transformational Climate Investment, and Investing in the Next Generation.

“This year’s alternative budget shows us we must, and we can implement an alternative vision for the province where no one is left behind. This vision requires us to change how we tax and spend. It requires us to come to terms with the scale and scope of the investment needed to transform our way of living before it is too late,” says Christine Saulnier, co-author and CCPA-NS director.

James Sawler, Economist and co-author underlines, “Given Nova Scotia’s strong economic and fiscal position, this NSAB demonstrates that the government can address the most pressing problems facing our province while maintaining a fiscally responsible approach. The NSAB invests an additional $1.5 billion in net operating expenditures, and while we project deficits for the next three years, the debt-to-GDP ratio remains sustainable.”

Danny Cavanagh, President of the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour, has this to say, "We all know that we must move away from a perpetual low-wage economy that harms so many workers and families, and our environment. This budget prioritizes a just transition, and building a diversified, green, caring economy from the ground-up where workers have more say. It invests to strengthen worker protections and create conditions for decent jobs and fair wages, while addressing pay and employment inequity.”

Alexandra Rose, Coordinator of the Nova Scotia Health Coalition, points out, “The Nova Scotia Health Coalition believes in both a reactive and preventative approach to solving the healthcare crisis. The NSAB accounts for both. It invests to address widespread issues at the forefront of the healthcare crisis, including long-term care, for existing and new community health centres, homecare expansion and wage increases. However, a responsive action alone is not enough to solve the crisis. The NSAB 2023 also takes a preventative approach to tackling social inequalities that often lead to health inequalities by investing in community-based preventative care. A preventative approach is critical to fixing the healthcare crisis."

“As inequality continues to rise in Nova Scotia, so too does the despair, leading to increased anxiety, illness and social isolation. The Nova Scotia Alternative Budget 2023 provides hope for those feeling despair and a clear vision of what our province could be. We cannot make children wait when we know that poverty profoundly impacts their development. Family income is an especially powerful factor in dictating development, as is access to affordable housing, and supportive services for children and families. If we want a healthier Nova Scotia, we must invest in kids and their families. The Alternative Budget shows us the way,” says Alec Stratford, Executive Director of the NS College of Social Workers. 

 

 

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For more information or to arrange an interview with one of the co-authors, contact Lauren Matheson, at 902-579-9555 (cell) or [email protected]

The report is available on the CCPA-NS website: https://policyalternatives.ca/NSAB2023 

The CCPA-NS is an independent, non-partisan research institute concerned with social and economic justice issues and environmental sustainability. 

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