ST. JOHN’S, NFLD (CUP)—Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Roger Grimes said last Friday that he would like to continue cutting tuition if he is reelected, but would not make any guarantees. He also defended Memorial University’s decision to hike international student fees by 33 per cent over the next several years.
Grimes says he will not announce details about education funding before the release of the budget at the end of this month, but he would say that his government’s hope is to continue freezing and reducing post-secondary tuition in the province.
The premier has already confirmed that a promised five per cent tuition cut will go ahead in September, but it is not clear if new funds will be provided for research or whether other post-secondary funding will also be made available.
“Every year we’ll be trying to find ways to make [post-secondary education] more affordable for the maximum number of Newfoundland and Labradoreans to pursue their options,” he said in an interview after giving a speech at a Young Liberals meeting.
“We’re certainly committed to no [tuition] increases. The biggest issue for us is whether or not we can continue on a track of further reductions for tuition.”
Over the past several months, Grimes has travelled around the province to garner support for his party as he moves toward an election, which he is expected to call later this year. According to polls, the Liberals are facing a tough fight from the Progressive Conservatives, led by Danny Williams.
In his speech, Grimes emphasized the province’s national and international reputation for quality in post-secondary education.
“Sometimes we don’t understand, in Newfoundland and Labrador, that . . .we are leaders nation-wide and world-wide and that we have real, quality education opportunities that are available to the people here,” he said.
The premier also responded to statements made by federal Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham during a visit to Memorial earlier this month. Graham said differential tuition rates unfairly impact access to education for foreign students, and that more should be done to help students come to Canada to study.
“Mr. Graham must have been talking about circumstances other than at Memorial . . .because in many other provinces they do charge rates much higher than we do for international students,” he said. “[International tuition rates at Memorial] are still at the lower rung of international rates. Memorial can . . .still be a destination of choice for international students if money is a factor.”
The provincial government provides an annual grant of about $150 million to Memorial. Grimes said it is not government policy to interfere with tuition for students from outside the province.
“Our concern, fundamentally, is for access for Newfoundland and Labradoreans. Other Canadians, and international students who come here, are more than welcome – but we leave the policy decisions with [them] to the Board of Regents.”
Presently, Memorial does not differentiate between tuition levels for students from the province and those from other parts of Canada. Quebec is the only province that makes such a distinction.
