New Brunswick Liberals call for public insurance

Opposition Liberals in New Brunswick have called for a public insurance system, criticizing rate increases for owners of recreational vehicles.

Canadian Press, Insurance Critic Denis Landry said some people with motorcycles, snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles have seen their rates increase by as much as 233% this year.

Landry is reported as saying the situation would be different if the province had a public insurance system. “Landry says recreation vehicle owners are contributing to record profits for insurance companies, and he wants the New Brunswick Insurance Board to investigate,” CP reported.

Don Forgeron, Atlantic vice-president of the Insurance Bureau of Canada, told CP in the same report: “Rising claim costs are to blame for the increasing rates, and a public insurance system such as the one in Qubec would be no better.”

Forgeron further said motorcycle insurance rates in Qubec’s public system are projected to rise by over 420% by the end of 2008.