Federal budget ignores post-secondary

By Kenny Sharpe

The Harper government’s 451-page budget was bursting with promises of another year of economic stimulus, but nothing was mentioned for debt-ridden students nationwide, complained student leaders. Katherine Giroux-Bougard, national chairperson for the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS), was quick to speak of the lack of action on the swollen student debt load after the budget was announced on March 4.

“Chronic underfunding of Canada’s post-secondary education system has resulted in skyrocketing tuition fees and record high levels of student debt,” she said in a press release. Canadian post-secondary students carry $13-billion in debt. “With a record number of Canadians enrolled in college or university, this budget does nothing to help students and their families afford an education,” she said. Giroux-Bougard says that the conservative government once again missed an important opportunity to address the student debt crisis in this country. Regardless of any economic action plan to offset the global recession, Giroux-Bougard says that “saddling students with billions of dollars of debt is not the way to a stronger economy, not now or for the future.”

The Newfoundland and Labrador chairperson for the CFS, Daniel Smith, echoes Giroux-Bougard in his denouncing of the federal budget. “I mean an investment in post-secondary education is economic stimulus. If you are giving people money or reducing student debt, that is actually spending in the communities. It’s pretty simple,” said Smith.

“Student representatives are extremely disappointed by the federal budget because there is nothing in there for students,” he said. “There is nothing in there to help the chronically underfunded colleges and universities across this country.” Referencing recent commitments the Williams government has made in Newfoundland and Labrador regarding student debt, including millions of dollars in commitments to eliminate interest on provincial student loans and stepping towards a more grant-based system, Smith says it’s evident when governments act on the requests of their constituents. “Here in [Newfoundland and Labrador], the provincial government has listened to students when students have said we can’t afford to [run massive debt loads] here,” Smith said. “We can’t afford to have the cost of education downloaded on to the backs of students.” Smith says the federal government needs to stop stepping back from properly funding post-secondary education and to possibly turn to Newfoundland and Labrador as an example.

Newfoundland and Labrador’s education minister has told the CFS-NL he is committed to keeping on open dialogue with the organization on post-secondary matters. The Newfoundland and Labrador provincial budget is due sometime this spring.

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