HALIFAX — Nova Scotia Liberals have removed the suspense surrounding the minority Conservative government's budget and have come out in support of the fiscal document.
The move by the third-place party ensures the survival of Premier Rodney MacDonald's government.
Last week, Liberal Leader Stephen McNeil had expressed some doubts about lending his support, but he now says the budget is balanced enough in its approach that his party feels comfortable voting in favour.
He highlighted the return of a program to assist low-income Nova Scotians with home-heating costs and a move to boost the number of medical seats at Dalhousie University as a way of dealing with doctor shortages.
Finance Minister Michael Baker expressed pleasure at Mr. McNeil's announcement and adds there was no single item that provided the turning point in winning support.
He said it is obvious the creation of 10 additional medical seats at Dalhousie University was important to the Liberal caucus.
The New Democrats are yet to state their position on the budget, but earlier this week Leader Darrell Dexter dropped strong hints that he has not been happy with the overall performance of the government and that his assessment of the budget would have to take that into consideration.
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