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NBU urges New Brunswick to follow Nova Scotia's lead

"I think if our government takes a long look at this proposal, they will come to the same conclusion as Nova Scotia." —Susie Proulx-Daigle, NBU President

Fredericton (26 April 2016) — The New Brunswick Union (NBU/NUPGE) is urging the provincial government to follow its counterparts in Nova Scotia when it comes to the privatization of land, motor vehicle and business registries.

New Brunswick exploring various privatization options

In its recent budget announcement, the government of Nova Scotia decided against privatizing the services. During his 2016 budget speech, New Brunswick's Finance Minister, Roger Melanson, noted an Alternative Service Delivery (ASD) unit would be established within the Department of Finance. The ASD unit is another way of saying government has set up a team to explore various privatization options.

"As an initial step in improving the way government works through ASD, our government will pursue partnerships with private sector organizations for the management of the following registries: Real Property Registry, Motor Vehicle Registry and Corporate Registry," Melanson said.

"This model has been successfully applied in Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan and will lead to significant financial benefits through a one-time lump sum payment and annual royalties. New Brunswickers will also see additional savings in the future as service providers assume responsibility for investing in technology and upgrading the registries."

Judging by its recent decision, Nova Scotia did not see the financial benefits Melanson spoke of in his speech.

Nova Scotia retreated on its plan to privatize services

"I think if our government takes a long look at this proposal, they will come to the same conclusion as Nova Scotia," said Susie Proulx-Daigle, NBU President. "These services are better left in public hands with the revenue they produce in the public coffers and not going to paying shareholders."

Jason MacLean, acting President of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union (NSGEU), said the decision by the Nova Scotia government was a welcome one.

"Our public registries also provide approximately $150 million to the province in revenue every year," MacLean said. "We are very pleased that government has done the math and realized that privatization is not the best way forward for Nova Scotians."

NUPGE 

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 360,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE