A recent survey of Canadian students found that almost two-thirds worry about having sufficient funds to complete their studies. No one should be surprised by this, especially at a time when tuition fees and student debt are at an all-time high, and living in Canada’s major cities has never been more costly.
As the costs of being a student increases, so does the anxiety about the ability to be a student. In other parts of the world, like Western Europe, governments have responded by making education more affordable, not more expensive. It is no exaggeration to say that through the 1990s, Canada’s federal government cut its deficit on the backs of students. While the national debt decreased, student debt has nearly doubled. Graduates are entering the workforce with burdens that force them to postpone buying a home or starting a family.
At a time when the federal Liberals are bragging about their multi-billion dollar in surplus seven years running, it is unacceptable that governments are investing less to make education more affordable.
Since the era of surpluses began, the Liberals have chosen to not invest in post-secondary education funding; they have chosen not to invest in student grants; and they have chosen not to invest in basic research so that small- and medium-sized universities get their share of federal dollars.
Instead, Paul Martin has made promises and walked away. During a nationally-televised federal election forum in St. John’s, the Prime Minister said that he wanted to allocate $8 billion to post-secondary education.
But his first post-election throne speech promised not one dime.
By contrast, the NDP MPs in the House of Commons have been fighting for a more accessible and pan-Canadian post-secondary education by cutting tuition by 10% and freezing it by guaranteeing increased, stable, and predictable funding to the provincial governments, making Canada Student Loans interest-free over the life of the loan, and replacing the Millennium Scholarship Fund with needs-based grants, not just loans.
We have begun to address some of the problems of the Canada Student Loan Program. The NDP’s PSE critic Alexa McDonough has introduced a bill to eliminate the Liberals’ discriminatory ten-year minimum before a student can seek bankruptcy protection. If a gambler can declare bankruptcy after a bad night at the track, why shouldn’t a student whose life is shattered by financial misery?
A lot of the case work we hear about in our Toronto office is from students who are having trouble witrh their Canada Student Loan.
Questions of eligibility for loans or for interest relief, and absurdities like having some PhD students repay their loan even while they remain in full-time studies. We are talking to students to find workable, affordable solutions for these problems as well.
To keep education accessible, we all need to do our part. Students can keep post-secondary education issues in the national spotlight by e-mailing your federal and provincial governments and your local MP; sending letters to the editor and op-ed pieces. Rally your fellow students together to collectively voice your concerns.
Over the past decade our post secondary system has been under attack because of successive Liberal governments who have listened to Stephen Harper and the Conservatives, and have bought into the idea that paying for education is the responsibility of individual students alone, and not something that governments should have a role in.
The most successful, dynamic, inventive and generous societies in the world are the ones who invest in all levels of education. Canada can be at the forefront of countries in this regard, but only if we abandon the ancient notion once and for all that post secondary education should be available only for those who can afford it.
Jack Layton is the Leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada and the MP for Toronto-Danforth. He is a former U of T professor.
