The New Brunswick legislature in Fredericton. (Image: Brad Perry)
New Brunswick MLAs have passed a motion asking the auditor general to examine the province’s response to COVID-19.
Members of the legislature approved the motion put forward by the opposition Liberals on Thursday.
Health minister Dorothy Shephard says it’s important to find out what worked and what didn’t work during the pandemic and she welcomes this review.
“I hope that we take the sense of resiliency and determination we’ve discovered as well as the compassion shown to one another over the past two years as we continue to make the shift towards living with this virus.”
Shephard says the province would ensure the auditor general’s office had the resources it needs to complete the review.
Memramcook-Tantramar Green Party MLA Megan Mitton told the legislature she found government messaging confusing during the pandemic and major changes were often announced late in the week.
“It was disruptive. And every Friday night and the whole weekend, I would just try to interpret the new mandatory order. I would try to send off emails and try to understand what was happening and explain it to my constituents.”
The motion states that if the auditor general is unable to complete the review, then another independent individual or entity will be engaged to do so.
The Department of Finance and Treasury Board said more details will be coming from the auditor general around the timeframe and scope of the review.
“The review will be shared publicly upon completion,” a department spokesperson told our newsroom in an email Friday morning.
