Auditor general flags gaps in N.B. health, safety plans

New Brunswick’s health care system and its plan to protect Indigenous women and girls are both falling short, according to the latest Auditor General report.

Emergency Room Wait Times

Auditor General Paul Martin said two‑thirds of ER visits during the audit period did not meet provincial targets for timely care.

“People are not being seen within the expected wait times. We have overcrowding, people in hallways, offices, waiting rooms,” Martin said.

“We expect a strategy from the department that they then push down with directives and expectations … so they know what to action on and correct these poor performance numbers.”

His office reported more than 249,000 patients left ERs without being seen, based on data from the regional health authorities.

Martin noted the Department of Health informed his office that the current base budget was set before 2008 and had no documentation supporting its assumptions.

He said the department announced in April that it would formally review the base budget for New Brunswick’s health care system.

“We recommend the department finalize that review and ensure sufficient resources are provided to the RHAs for service delivery,” Martin said.

Martin made 11 recommendations in total. Among those he highlighted were:

• A clear provincial strategy to reduce wait times.
• Better monitoring of ER performance against national benchmarks.
• Improved reporting by regional health authorities to ensure accountability.
• Finalizing the base budget review and aligning resources with service needs.

He said the Department of Health accepted the recommendations, but his office will follow up to ensure they are implemented.

Indigenous Women’s Safety Plan

The report also found New Brunswick has made little progress on its plan to address violence against Indigenous women and girls.

Paul Martin said fewer than 10 per cent of the plan’s 39 promised actions were completed at the time of his audit.

“There has been a lack of accountability and urgency resulting in very few of the 39 actions being reported as completed within the two‑year time frame set by the plan,” he said.

“The commitments made at the plan’s release deserve renewed focus.”

Martin’s office also found that oversight committees have not met since the plan was launched in 2023. He said the absence of regular meetings has weakened accountability and slowed progress.

The plan was introduced in response to the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, which urged provinces to take action.

Martin noted that the inquiry’s calls for justice were meant to be urgent, but New Brunswick’s response has lacked momentum.

Among the recommendations highlighted in the report were:

• The Department of Women’s Equality should track progress with clear performance indicators.
• Oversight committees should meet regularly to monitor implementation.
• Public reporting should be improved to show completed and outstanding actions.
• Departments should ensure accountability structures are in place to prevent delays.

Martin said all 11 recommendations were accepted by the Department of Women’s Equality, but his office will follow up to ensure they are acted on.