QP - Cuts to HARP
CLAUDIA CHENDER : We will keep looking for an answer to that question, Speaker.
People were shocked by this government's cruel choice to kick 46,000 Nova Scotians off the Heating Assistance Rebate Program last fall. We heard from hundreds of Nova Scotians who were counting on that money to heat their homes this winter. One retired couple from East Hants told us that their HARP rebate meant they did not have to worry about staying warm during our harsh winters. Without this support, they are making tough choices, like cutting back on groceries each week, to keep the heat on. Every constituency office in this province has heard these stories. Why is the Premier, who has overspent his budget year after year, taking support from Nova Scotians who need it most to pay for it?
HON. JILL BALSER : Speaker, we know the importance that HARP provides to vulnerable Nova Scotians to help support them in colder months to help pay their heating bills. We know that there has been a change to the amount that HARP was. It was $600 and now it is $400, but are continuing to make sure that it is $400 for the most vulnerable Nova Scotians.
When we have to make decisions like this, I want to recognize that there are other programs and other supports available to Nova Scotians at this point in time. That's why we have the Seniors Care Grant, the Property Tax Rebate for Seniors. There are other supports. HARP is just one program, and we can't look at it in isolation; we have to look at all of these things together.
CLAUDIA CHENDER : The Heating Assistance Rebate Program was given to vulnerable Nova Scotians to assist them in affording heating. What the minister didn't say is that in addition to cutting the amount, 46,000 people who were deemed to be eligible previously are not eligible this year. That's 46,000 Nova Scotians who are not getting the assistance that they relied upon and that they need.
The Premier's priorities are moving further out of step with what Nova Scotians expect. Just this week, changes have come forward that will allow Nova Scotia Power to avoid fines if they don't meet legislative targets. This is a company that lost Nova Scotians' private information in a data breach and whose parent company posted $1 billion in profit last year. We need the Minister of Energy to have our backs.
Why won't this government start a full review and find solutions for the Nova Scotians facing huge bills?
JILL BALSER : I just want to remind Nova Scotians that HARP is still available for anyone who has yet to apply. I know that the member had mentioned that folks are coming to constituency offices and, of course, that is in my own case. When I think about the other programs and the other supports that are available to Nova Scotians, I think about a gentleman who came into my office. Although he did recognize that, yes, okay, HARP is not going to be the $600 that it was before, but that $400 is still meaningful for many people. So we need to encourage those who are still eligible to apply.
Something that he also said to me is: I hope that people also recognize that when they go to the hospital now, they don't have to pay for parking. Maybe those two things aren't correlated directly, but when we're looking at cost-saving measures, again, we have to look at this all in its entirety . . . (Interruption)
THE SPEAKER : Order.