ST. JOHN, N.B. — New Brunswick Premier Bernard Lord and Liberal transportation critic Sheldon Lee butted heads over highway spending on Friday.

Lee criticized Lord during question period, for sitting on unused money while people continue to lose their lives on the province’s highways.

“Nobody in this province would hold anything against you if you take $25 to $30 million from your slush fund and put it against $25 or $30 million that’s laying there in federal dollars,” blasted Lee.

Lord retorted that Lee’s past spending was unfair, as the majority of it occurred in his own riding.

“You built the four-lane in your riding, Sheldon, in your riding,” shouted an emotional Lord. “That’s where it went Sheldon.”

Lord also said rival hit a “real low” by bringing up the deaths of children to bring attention to the need for safer highways.

Lee says there is a director correlation between the state of the province’s highways and the number of fatal accidents. “What is the result of not building safe highways? More injuries and more deaths,” he says. “Can you deny that?”