News Release

From the Prime Minister's Web Site (http://www.pm.gc.ca/)

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PRIME MINISTER HARPER WRITES PREMIER SHAWN GRAHAM ON PLAN TO RESTORE FISCAL BALANCE IN CANADA

March 19, 2007
Ottawa, Ontario

Prime Minister Stephen Harper today wrote Premier Shawn Graham to outline the benefits for New Brunswick in the fiscal balance plan set out in Budget 2007.

The plan announced today is based on national principles, while treating each province fairly and meeting the government's commitments.

Prime Minister Harper's letter highlighted the following issues:

New Brunswick will benefit from an Equalization formula based on a ten-province standard.

New Brunswick will also benefit from our formula for allocating infrastructure transfers. This provides all jurisdictions with floor funding of $25 million per year, in recognition of the particular challenges facing provinces and territories with smaller populations.

Prime Minister Harper concluded that "our plan delivers important benefits to the people of New Brunswick, both now and in the future."

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The Prime Minister's Office - Communications
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