FREDERICTON -- The New Brunswick government will spend more than one-and-a-quarter billion dollars on the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development in Tuesday's provincial budget -- an increase of 6.1 per cent over last year.
A government source says that's an increase of $72.6 million over last year, and $172.2 million since the Gallant government took office in 2014.
The Liberal government has released a number of details about its 2018-2019 spending plans in advance of tabling the budget.
Last week, Premier Brian Gallant announced that $25 million will be spent in an effort to boost the number of young people working in the province.
And during his state-of-the province address, he said the budget would include a $20-million economic competitiveness package.
While the government has been reducing the size of the annual deficits, the net debt has continued to grow to more than $14 billion.
