The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) met with more than 120 MPs and senators last week as the student group made its case for $2.84 billion in post-secondary funding.
The CFS is looking for help from the federal government to relieve student debt.
To do so, it proposed increasing non-repayable student grants, removing the funding cap on increases to the Post-Secondary Student Support Program (which provides financial assistance to aboriginal students) and developing legislation for dedicated post-secondary investments in co-operation with provincial governments.
“We’re worried that our federal leaders are not taking student issues seriously,” CFS national chairperson Jessica McCormick said in a statement after the group’s annual Lobby Week on Parliament Hill.
In the past 15 years, tuition fees have grown faster than any other expense for post-secondary students in Canada, more than five times the average rate of inflation, according to a new CFS campaign called “It’s No Secret.” It aims to educate Canadians about post-secondary value leading up to the 2015 federal election.
The organization said about 40 per cent of students incur more than $25,000 in debt, forcing them to work during the school year, which negatively impacts performance.
The CFS is also asking the government to remove targeted funding allocations within the councils in charge of research grants, instead tying federal scholarships to average program growth.
Its final proposal urges the federal government to double its annual investment in the Youth Employment Strategy to “ensure program effectiveness” and create a strategy to increase employment and training opportunities for Canada’s youth.
Despite meeting with politicians of all major parties, CFS representatives said they weren’t optimistic about the outcome of its lobbying efforts.
“We presented three clear policy recommendations . . . and with few exceptions have received zero commitments to fix our higher education system,” McCormick said. “While lawmakers claim to be focusing Canada’s economic recovery we have not seen a strategy to address some of our core issues such as youth unemployment, underemployment and crippling debt load.”
Post-secondary education is a provincial power across Canada. Between 2012 and 2013, the Ontario government issued over $1 billion in grants and loans, including the 30 per cent off tuition grant, according to Brad Duguid, Ontario’s former minister of training, colleges and universities.
“A postsecondary education is a major investment for students and their families,” Duguid told the Charlatan in March in an email. “Attending college or university should be within reach for all families in this province and our investments will continue to help support students and keep their costs manageable.”
