Health Minister Karen Casey says the math of an NDP promise to open more hospital beds doesn’t add up.
On Tuesday the NDP released a platform of 50 promises totalling $79 million. One of those was a $4.85-million promise to open up 17 new beds at the Halifax Infirmary.
But Thursday Casey sent out a news release refuting those numbers. She said the Tories recently created 14 new beds at a much higher cost, once three new nurses, three paramedics and three aides were included.
“The real cost here is $21 million for a 14-bed expansion, not less than $5 million for 17 beds as the NDP are saying,” said Casey.
“Their number is unrealistic and misleading.”
The Liberals were in Stewiacke Thursday targeting the agriculture industry. In a speech McNeil said he wants to make the industry more viable and sustainable.
“We have three priorities. One is an educational component in the classroom. One is about making sure that the federal dollars that are on the table would be committed towards allowing people to transition to more sustainable agricultural models,” McNeil said.
“And the other one was around carbon capture credits and biofuels that would allow farmers to generate extra revenue that would come from just food sources.”
McNeil said his government would negotiate with agriculture, Agrifood Canada and ACOA to develop a transition fund for farmers.
