Moncton, May 4, 2017 – The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) welcomes the announcement made today by Donald Arseneault, Minister of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour, calling for the creation of a WorkSafeNB Task Force, a premium cap in 2018 and a review by the auditor general.
“The request made by the Minister to cap premium increases for 2018 is a step in the right direction” said Louis-Philippe Gauthier, CFIB Director of provincial affairs. “While this will affect the funding position of WorkSafeNB, it is a necessary temporary measure.”
CFIB responded to member outrage over premium increases by releasing a report this week demonstrating that WorkSafe NB premium hikes will cost New Brunswick small business owners almost $18 million in 2017. Ninety-five per cent of small business owners say that adapting to additional rate hikes in 2018 will be difficult and will cause employers to reconsider pay increases, employee benefits, and employee hours while negatively impacting profits.
Having pushed for action on this contentious issue since premium hikes were first implemented, CFIB supports the creation of this new task force. “Getting to the root causes of the premium increases is essential. Business owners need to know what is driving these increases. The situation needs to be addressed, and stability needs to be restored in order to ensure the sustainability of the system” explained Gauthier.
To arrange an interview with Louis-Philippe Gauthier, please contact our office at 1-506-855-2526 or msnb@cfib.ca
CFIB is Canada’s largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 109,000 members across every sector and region.
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