New Brunswick Equal Opportunity program
The New Brunswick Equal Opportunity Program was a government program that transformed social services in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. It was begun in 1967 under the leadership of premier Louis Robichaud.[1]
The program was one of a series of progressive reforms brought by Robichaud's Liberal Party government.[2]
By the early 1960s New Brunswick had become a province with deep regional inequalities.
Parts of the report were implemented as the Equal Opportunity Program on 1 January 1967. The province took responsibility for health, welfare, education, and justice. The poll tax was abolished, the number of school districts was reduced to 34 from over 400, and property tax was imposed.[3]
Municipalities remained geographically unchanged, although they no longer provided social services. Local government in New Brunswick's extensive rural areas, outside of municipalities, had been provided by county councils. These were abolished, leaving the county with no political role, although the old county and parish borders are still used to define the local service districts that replaced county councils, and for the census subdivisions of
References
- ^ "Louis J. Robichaud". www.virtualmuseum.ca. Heritage Branch, Province of New Brunswick. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
- ^ Marchildon, Gregory P.; O'Byrne, Nicole C. "Last Province Aboard: New Brunswick and National Medicare". University of New Brunswick. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
- ^ a b c "New Brunswick Equal Opportunity Programme". search.canbarchives.ca. ArchivesCANB. Retrieved 27 June 2020.