N.B. news: Premier looks back on busy 2024 [Video]

A few weeks after leading the New Brunswick Liberals to electoral victory and becoming the first female premier in that province’s history, Susan Holt got a phone call from the federal government about an incoming holiday tax break.

“It was a surprise to get a phone call and be told, ‘Here’s a program and, doesn’t it sound great?’” Holt told CTV News Atlantic’s Todd Battis during a year-end interview. “We had lots of questions, and as we proceeded to try to get our questions answered, we learned what it was going to cost the books here in New Brunswick.”

Holt, like Premier Tim Houston in neighbouring Nova Scotia, is seeking the lost revenue from the ongoing federal GST/HST break.

“New Brunswickers expect us to live within our means and taking a $70-million hit to our bottom line is not tenable right now,” she said. “While I appreciate that the federal …