N.B. Liberals table bills on tax credits, patient safety, Tories say it’s just ‘housekeeping’

New Brunswick’s Opposition leader says he’s expecting the governing Liberals to release their long-awaited overhaul to the system that sets property taxes.

FREDERICTON — The New Brunswick government has introduced legislation it says will stimulate investment in small businesses and improve patient safety across the health-care system.

The Liberals kicked off a spring session of the legislature Tuesday with two bills the Opposition leader said amounted to “housekeeping.”

Bill 39 proposes increasing a tax credit for corporate investors in domestic small businesses to 25 per cent from the current 15 per cent. The Liberals say it’s another improvement to what’s been an effective program for decades.

Luke Randall, minister responsible for Opportunities NB, said proposed updates to the Small Business Investor Tax Credit allows for small businesses to access more capital and scale more effectively.

“The tax credit plays an important role in supporting business growth in New Brunswick and positioning the province as an attractive place for Canadians to live, build and succeed,” Randall said in a statement.

With Bill 40, the government said it wants to improve how patient safety incidents are reviewed, shared and used for learning across the health-care system.

Health Minister John Dornan said the proposals were not tied to any one incident but have instead been in the works for some time.

“This had nothing to do with a specific incident, it’s modernizing our legislation,” Dornan said in response to questions from reporters.

The legislation, Dornan said, creates a process for patient safety committees across New Brunswick’s two health networks to share information with each other.

Glen Savoie, leader of the Progressive Conservatives, said the Liberals are trying to “pop up a portfolio to make it look like they’re doing a lot of work in the house.”

“We’ve only got five weeks sitting in the house left and all we’re doing is a lot of housekeeping stuff,” Savoie told reporters at the legislature.

“New Brunswickers should be concerned that they’re not seeing an improvement in their lives because of the work of this government, and that should be pretty clear.”

However, Savoie noted that any tax relief for businesses “would be welcome,” quickly adding “the proof is always in the pudding.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2026.

Eli Ridder, The Canadian Press