2025-26 New Brunswick Budget Overview

On March 18, 2025, Finance Minister René Legacy presented the Government of New Brunswick’s 2025-2026 Budget, titled “Driving Change, Delivering Progress.” The budget's cornerstones are investing in healthcare, education, housing, and economic resilience. The Government is projecting a deficit of $549 million in 2025-2026, with revenues expected to be $13.8 billion and spending expected to be $14.3 billion.
 

This is Minister Legacy’s first budget following the Liberal's electoral success in October over the incumbent PCs. It comes at a time of increasing difficulty for the province over the financial impact of and challenges with the new U.S. Administration. As the most U.S.-trade-exposed province, with more than 90% of New Brunswick’s exports sent south of the border, unsurprisingly, this budget focuses significantly on mitigating the impact of the U.S.-Canada trade war on local constituents and businesses. It also aligns with several key election promises made by the government, in addition to a focus on other priorities, including healthcare, housing, and education.
 

Stay tuned for further updates as the New Brunswick Government implements these measures. To gain insights into how the 2025-2026 New Brunswick Budget may affect your organization or business, please reach out to our team of experts at Iris Communications. 

 

Key Budget Highlights

Responding to Tariffs

• $112 million tariff package – including:
o New $25 million investment in a program offered through Opportunities NB
o $50 million contingency introduced to reflect the uncertainty of tariffs Healthcare The budget invests $293 million more in healthcare compared to last year.
 

Primary Care

• $30 million for community care clinics
• Creation of a minimum of 30 local family health teams over the next four years
• Support for current team-based clinics and the creation of a minimum of 10 more during the fiscal year
 

Healthcare Modernization

• $28.4 million to transform, modernize, and integrate fragmented and outdated technology systems – includes $19.4 million to support the ongoing transformation of the clinical information system
Recruitment and Retention
• $15.9 million in physician remuneration to maintain their community-based practices
• $2 million to expand recruitment of qualified healthcare professionals from across the world and Canada
 

Other

• Over $1.9 million to increase fertility treatments – funding one round of in vitro fertilization treatment per household
• $462,000 to implement HPV tests – a primary screening test for cervical cancer
• $150,000 to break down barriers to midwifery training and certification and support the profession’s growth
 

Support Seniors

• $22 million for nursing homes and specialized beds to support New Brunswick’s aging population
• $10 million to make home care more affordable and help New Brunswickers stay at home longer
• $2 million to implement a dementia strategy and action plan
• $1.5 million to continue implementing the five-year Aging with Dignity action plan – part of a bilateral agreement with the federal government
• Expanding the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) immunization program to make free vaccines available to New Brunswickers aged 75 and older
 

Education

• $32.4 million for educational assistants and behavioral intervention mentors
• $19 million for a school lunch program, with a focus on local foods where possible
• $10 million for high-quality support for children and youth with exceptional needs and trauma
• $8.7 to support early detection and intervention involving children and youth well-being, using the child-centered approach at the core of the Child and Youth Well-Being Act
• $200 million over five years as part of a more extensive program to subsidize more than 17,000 childcare spaces across various programs
• $16.4 for more teachers to help address the growth in student enrolment
• $4 million for teacher recruitment and retention to address the profession’s shortage
• $2.1 million for academic support teachers
 

Housing

• $36.6 million for the New Brunswick Housing Corporation – investments include:
o $21.1 million for the direct-to-tenant rental benefit, supporting an additional 2,500 households per year
o $4.6 million for the Affordable Rental Housing Program
o $3.3 million in public housing to support repairs, modernization, and improvement projects
o $2.3 million to support the 3% rent cap and create an outreach and awareness program for tenants and landlords
 

Additional information and a copy of the complete budget can be found here.