Harper government should address student debt crisis, federation says
Tuesday, March 12, 2013 by: SooToday.com Staff
NEW RELEASE
CANADIAN FEDERATION OF STUDENTS
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Students call on government to reduce student debt ahead of federal budget
OTTAWA (March 12, 2013) - The Alternative Federal Budget, released earlier today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, puts forward concrete measures for addressing Canada's student debt crisis.
"Record-high levels of student debt and high youth unemployment threaten Canada's long-term prosperity," said Jessica McCormick, national deputy chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students. "Investing in post-secondary education ensures a more equitable society for future generations."
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and its member organizations, including the Canadian Federation of Students, use the federal government's current fiscal framework to create a budget that reflects the priorities of Canadians.
Students propose four specific budget steps to make post-secondary education more affordable:
• Create a new dedicated cash transfer aimed at reducing tuition fees
• Cut student debt in half by increasing the value and number of up-front, non-repayable grants
• Remove the funding cap on the Post-Secondary Student Support Program to meet the needs of all First Nations students; and
• Increase federal granting agencies' base budgets and increase the number of Canada Graduate Scholarships to maintain independent, public research.
"Funding public post-secondary education is critical to reducing socioeconomic inequalities and meeting the demands of an evolving labour market," added McCormick. "We urge the federal government to take immediate action to reduce the up-front barriers to post-secondary education."
The Alternative Federal Budget can be downloaded here or here.
The Canadian Federation of Students is Canada's largest student organization, uniting more that one-half million students in all 10 provinces.
The federation and its predecessor organizations have represented students in Canada since 1927.
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