November 13, 2024
Honourable Lyne Chantal Boudreau
Minister responsible for Women’s Equality and Minister responsible for Seniors
P.O. Box 6000
Fredericton, NB E3B 5H1
Dear Minister,
Thank you for accepting to serve New Brunswickers as Minister responsible for Women’s Equality and Minister responsible for Seniors. I know that your involvement with organizations like the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre and the Comité Femmes et égalité entre les genres, and your life’s work in education have equipped you with the skills and knowledge to deliver on these critical responsibilities for New Brunswickers.
Our government is honoured that New Brunswickers gave us a mandate to implement a vision that so many New Brunswickers helped create. We have the privilege of being entrusted with a mandate to focus on New Brunswickers by working with them and listening to them to create a brighter future we all deserve. It is their expectation of us, and my expectation of you, that we deliver on the promises we’ve made. New Brunswickers need to know that they can trust us, and that we will focus on them.
It is an honour to serve the people of this beautiful province with you. This mandate letter is intended to communicate our government’s intentions and expectations of your portfolio, and to begin the process of accountability so New Brunswickers know for what they can hold us accountable.
Our platform focuses on the priorities that matter most to the people of this province. It reflects the stories and solutions shared by New Brunswickers and it is centred on what we can achieve together. In addition to our priorities, I will also share my expectations of how we act as a government, and as ministers.
GOVERNMENT PRIORITIES
- Healthcare
- Affordability and Housing
- Education
- Economic Development
- Environment
- Leadership You Can Trust
As Minister, you will contribute to all the pillar priorities. You are expected to support this work and are accountable to deliver on the priority areas under your portfolio as outlined below.
Measurable Outcomes
- Eliminate the long-term care waitlist by fully utilizing existing nursing home beds and improving staffing levels.
- Increase average care hours in nursing homes, ensuring seniors receive the level of care they need to live with dignity and comfort.
- Reduce the number of hospital beds occupied by seniors waiting for long-term care, improving hospital capacity and reducing healthcare costs.
- Retain and recruit personal support workers and home care workers.
It is expected that you will work with staff to determine the appropriate measures / outcomes for the commitments below.
As Lead
PLATFORM THEME |
COMMITMENT |
LEAD
|
Healthcare - Care at Home and Long-Term Care |
Expand the Nursing Homes Without Walls model and ensure that those who want to stay at home can do so for as long as possible. |
Seniors |
Healthcare - Care at Home and Long-Term Care |
Ensure all existing nursing home beds are accessible by filling staffing gaps by investing in wages for personal support workers and resident attendants ultimately resulting in increased hours of care. |
Seniors |
Healthcare - Care at Home and Long-Term Care |
Review and update the process and standards for home care allocation and invest in increased wages for homecare workers. |
Seniors |
Healthcare - Care at Home and Long-Term Care |
Implement a caregiver benefit for unpaid and informal caregivers of aging family members, giving caregivers $250 a month to recognize their contribution. |
Seniors |
Healthcare - Care at Home and Long-Term Care |
Increase comfort and clothing allowance for seniors from $150 to $200. |
Seniors |
Healthcare - Care at Home and Long-Term Care |
Establish sector standards and transparent reporting practices with a robust system for complaints that leads to quick responses and better overall delivery to ensure our seniors continue to receive excellent care. |
Seniors |
Healthcare - Care at Home and Long-Term Care |
Work with communities to develop and implement a strategy that better supports those living with Alzheimer’s and dementia. |
Seniors |
Economic Development - Addressing Workforce Needs |
Phase in pay equity in the private and care sector, using a model similar to Quebec and Ontario. |
WE |
Leadership You Can Trust |
Immediately review the recommendations of the 2024 reports from the Office of the Child Youth, and Seniors’ Advocate and make progress towards fixing our social policy capacity and making New Brunswick children and seniors more safe and secure. |
ECO Seniors |
As Support
PLATFORM THEME |
COMMITMENT |
LEAD |
Healthcare - Healthcare for All |
Provide the RSV vaccine for free for seniors and vulnerable people. |
DH |
Healthcare - Healthcare for All |
Ensure billing process aligns with best practices to provide members of the LGBTQI2S+ community with quality health and mental health care—including longer appointment times and gender-affirming care. |
DH |
Healthcare - Healthcare for All |
Ensure New Brunswickers can better access abortion services by amending regulation 84–20. |
DH |
Healthcare - Healthcare for All |
Implement at-home pap tests for cervical cancer screening. |
DH |
Healthcare - Healthcare for All |
Make contraception free. |
DH |
Healthcare - Healthcare for All |
Expand midwifery services and allocating funding to support training and education. |
DH |
Healthcare - Healthcare for All |
Increase access to fertility treatments by funding one round of IVF, which is in line with jurisdictions across Canada. |
DH |
Healthcare - Caring for the People Who Care for You |
Implement innovative approaches to recruit healthcare professionals, including nurses and doctors. |
DH |
Affordability and Housing - A Place to Call Home |
Provide funding for safety and accessibility retrofits for New Brunswick seniors and people with disabilities who wish to stay in their homes. |
SD |
Affordability and Housing - A Place to Call Home |
Invest in long-term and sustainable core funding for transition homes and frontline domestic violence services, including women’s shelters and additional support services. |
SD |
Affordability and Housing - Income Support |
Increase social assistance rates given the rising cost of food and housing, while ensuring regulations are not penalizing recipients. |
SD |
Affordability and Housing - Income Support |
Explore a plan for a basic income for New Brunswickers living with disabilities. |
SD |
Education - Nourishing Kids, Nourishing Minds |
Provide nutritious universal free breakfast and pay-what-you-can lunches to all New Brunswick students leveraging local, New Brunswick food where possible that prioritizes purchasing food from local farmers and producers, supporting New Brunswick’s agricultural industry and ensuring fresh, nutritious meals for students. |
EECD |
Education - Help Kids Get the Best Start |
Reduce the administrative and regulatory burden on childcare operators to enhance their ability to provide the best care possible for children. |
EECD |
Leadership You Can Trust |
Immediately review and respond to the Systemic Racism Commissioner’s Final Report, working on a timely plan to implement its recommendations. |
PETL |
RESPONSIBILITIES FOR CROWN ENTITIES
In addition to your other responsibilities, you are the Minister responsible for:
- New Brunswick Women's Council
Government is responsible for the legislative, regulatory, and public policy frameworks in which Crown entities operate. As Minister you are expected to uphold your statutory responsibilities associated with these entities.
HOW WE WILL WORK
Our government is committed to evidence-based decision-making across all departments. We will operate under an ‘open by default’ principle to improve transparency and trust in government.
We will “get out of the office” and engage authentically with New Brunswickers, communities, stakeholders, and experts inspired by the disability advocacy principle of “Nothing about us without us”.
We recognize that one size does not fit all – that some communities will need different things to thrive and our legislation, policies and programs should be designed to support those unique differences.
We will prioritize partnerships, trusting and empowering the people and organizations on the ground working most closely with New Brunswickers.
The Official Languages Act, which guarantees the equality of our official languages and linguistic communities, is an integral part of our culture, our history and our future as a province. I expect us all to work together to show leadership to enable New Brunswick to fulfill its role as a leader in official languages in the country and the world.
We commit to rebuilding relationships with First Nations based on a nation-to-nation relationship that establishes trust and a shared understanding of treaty obligations.
We will be a government that cares for all New Brunswickers and that does our best to bring people together. New Brunswickers have placed their trust in us, and we will work every day to hold that trust.
I expect all ministers to serve with the highest personal and professional integrity. As a Cabinet Minister, you must follow conflict of interest rules, and the conduct outlined in the Minister’s Handbook. Our Westminster system relies on cabinet confidentiality and solidarity.
I expect you to always respect your Cabinet and Caucus colleagues, as well as those MLAs who represent different political parties.
I also expect you to develop a professional relationship with your Deputy Minister and other officials in your department. I expect your officials to keep you fully briefed on matters pertaining to your portfolio. I request that you be accessible to such officials, to seek and hear their advice, their concerns, and understand they are there to serve our government in a non-partisan manner.
Members of the Executive Council and their staff are responsible to contribute to a respectful workplace environment at GNB. A respectful workplace values diversity and inclusion, courteous conduct, equality, positive communication, and professional working relationships. Neither GNB nor I will condone or tolerate any form of harassment in the workplace.
We are going to lead with a balanced approach. That means we will watch the bottom line and deliver fiscal responsibility while we improve the services that New Brunswickers need, like health care and education and an affordable place to call home.
I look forward to the results we will achieve together for New Brunswickers. Thank you for joining me in service to our beloved province.
Sincerely,
______________________
Premier
Honourable Susan Holt
c.c.: Clerk of the Executive Council and Head of the Public Service