Will the new Liberal government in New Brunswick reform health care?

New Brunswick elected its first woman premier on Monday night. Susan Holt with the Liberal Party won a majority government. Holt has promised to make immediate changes to health care. Outgoing Premier Blaine Higgs and a former health minister, Ted Flemming, as well as other cabinet ministers did not win in their ridings.

On the day following the election, Holt spoke to the New Brunswick Nurses Union’s 50th anniversary conference, where she restated her commitment to making health care a priority.

Well..first great step Premier Elect @susanholt Meeting with @NBNU_SIINB AGM on day 1. Committed to putting Health as a priority for them gvt #Retention #NursePatienrRatios pic.twitter.com/lHmFfYmfWB

— Linda Silas (@CFNUPresident) October 22, 2024

On Thursday, Holt, joined by 30 members of her newly elected Liberal caucus, told a media conference in Fredericton that she would enhance abortion access, reported Bruce Wark. “There are places that are ready to deliver those services and people who are ready to deliver those services,” Holt said.

How will Holt respond to privatization concerns? 

Jean-Claude Basque with the New Brunswick Health Coalition noted that the Liberal Party Platform included increasing the number of employees and wages of workers in long-term care and home care. However, Basque noted that addressing growing privatization in health care was missing in the Liberal Party platform.

“The Greens and the NDP are the only two parties to address the growing privatization of our health care by the Conservatives. We know that, in partnership with the private company Medavie, they have opened several health clinics, negotiated contracts with private companies to offer cataract surgeries, and developed virtual care by giving a monopoly of these services to eVisitNB. The Liberals’ silence about this in their party platform doesn’t look good for the future,” wrote Basque.

In a NB Media Co-op interview earlier this year, Holt did promise to not expand health care privatization, a remarkable shift in policy for the Liberals. In 2017, Liberal Premier Brian Gallant contracted out extramural care and Tele-care services to Medavie Blue Cross. Holt said she would also re-examine those contracts as part of a “refresh of the party.”

Health care advocates are looking forward to having a more open relationship with a new health minister. Previous Progressive Conservative Health Minister Bruce Fitch often refused to meet with grassroots social justice groups.

Of the New Brunswick Liberals elected, contenders for health minister include Dr. John Dornan, former CEO of Horizon Health who won $2-million in compensation from the province over his termination. Claire Johnson, a professor who studies population heath and health care policy, at the Université de Moncton is another possibility as is Rob McKee, the Liberals’ former health care critic and Benoît Bourque, a former health minister under the Gallant government.

Could New Brunswick be one of the first provinces to get pharmacare?

Pharmacare was also absent from the Liberal Party platform, except for a promise to provide free contraceptives.

Health care advocates remain hopeful that a New Brunswick Liberal government could be one of the first provincial governments to sign a pharmacare agreement with the federal government.

The Canadian Health Coalition, Nova Scotia Health Coalition and Council of Canadians will be gathering outside the provincial and territorial health ministers’ meeting in Halifax on November 14, which happens to be World Diabetes Day. We will be demanding that the provinces immediately sign pharmacare agreements with the federal government to get diabetes and contraception medicine into the hands of people.

As Jennifer Benoit, coordinator of the Nova Scotia Health Coalition, says, “politicians need to stop playing politics with our lives. Pharmacare now!”

Tracy Glynn is the National Director of Projects and Operations for the Canadian Health Coalition.