Description: The CEO overseeing 2/3 of the provincial hospital system says major changes are needed and that we need to move away from the traditional reliance on hospitals. But the politician overseeing New Brunswick’s strategic program review says that there won’t be any major cuts to health care and education. Citizens have been left wondering what are the tough choices then that the government has been talking about for the last several months if both education and health care won’t be touched.

Source: CBC.ca

Date: January 15, 2016

Link: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/budget-health-education-cuts-1.3405888

Discussion Points:

1) If you were advising the New Brunswick government, what would you recommend for the so-called tough decisions?

2) What role could accountants play in educating the Canadian public about the choices to be made in setting provincial budgets?

3) What do you think of the notion of public budget consultations as a budgeting tool?