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Students living in poverty are so common and socially acceptable that we are a cliché. Student life evokes images of struggling to cover rent, maxing out credit cards to buy books for class, and of course, the iconic mac and cheese. But is this just a required part of growing up, or does it show a failure of our education system? We know that students shouldn’t have to sacrifice their quality of life in order to pay for a degree. |
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We are members of the Liberal Party of Canada because we believe in its commitment to economic prosperity through knowledge prosperity. The Liberal Party’s plan for post-secondary students includes:
Significantly more student loans with much better terms
Guaranteed minimum loans, regardless of parental income
Real investment in our post-secondary institutions
For more details click here.
So if you think it’s time for a government that has a plan to help us, raise your Liberal ballots in the air and say to Harper’s Conservatives, “hellz no, the macaroni must go.”
The Plan
Harper’s Conservatives have no plan for helping struggling students. The only policy the Conservative government put forth was a tax credit worth less than $10 per month for textbooks.
A new Liberal government will be committed to significant, long-term investment in students. We will provide more grants, more funding for research and development, and more student loans with more generous terms.
We will create a 20-year education endowment fund worth $25 billion. This fund will provide 200,000 bursaries of up to $3,500 per year to students in financial need and 100,000 access bursaries of up to $4,000 per year to members of groups such as Aboriginal Canadians and persons with disabilities. A new Liberal government will provide more grants – a lot more grants.
We will work with the provinces to ensure student loans have an interest rate of prime + 0.5%, and extend the grace period for students immediately after graduation from six months to two years. We will make all students eligible for guaranteed student loans of $5,000, regardless of parental income. Students from middle income families will no longer find themselves locked out of the student loan system. A new Liberal government will mean more student loans with a lower interest rate and a more generous grace period.
Read more on the Liberal plan here: http://www.liberal.ca/pdf/docs/080917_students_bkgnd_e.pdf
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Student Voices
Tom C, Waterloo, ON:
Years after my first year of undergrad, one of my close friends admitted to me that he had to survive his first on only ½ a sandwich a day. We need real help for students because no one should have to choose between an education and starvation.
Alex S, Ottawa, ON:
My roommate in second year was forced to work a full time job and a part time job during the summer to support his education. He would leave the apartment at 8am and arrive well past 10pm, yet he still struggled to finance his degree.
One of the primary reasons he was in such trouble was his inability to get an OSAP loan because his parents simply made too much money. This was totally inconsequential as his parents provided little to no financial support.
The policy to make all students eligible for guaranteed student loans of $5,000 has a particular resonance for me as it would prevent his situation from happening to any other student again.
Support the Liberal Party and change education for the better. Screw Mac and Cheese!
Aaron S., Calgary, AB:
Neither of my parents went to university, and so growing up I was never strongly encouraged to pursue a post-secondary education. When I decided to enter the History program at the University of Calgary, I found myself in a difficult position: since my parents had never put away money for a university education, I was going to have to rely on student loans and a part-time job to put myself through school. Now that I’m approaching the end of my program, I’m beginning to worry about how I’m going to deal with the huge burden of paying off my student loans. Interest charges kick in just six months after I graduate. I’ll be lucky if I’ve even found a career by that time, let alone paid off any of my debts. That’s why I was elated to read the Liberals’ new plan for post-secondary students. Among other things, it extends the grace period for my loans from six months to two years. Knowing that I have that extra cushion of time to start to put a dent in my debts and find a career that’s right for me is reassuring, to say the least. I’m glad that there’s a party out there who understands the tremendous pressures of being a student, and who wants me to succeed in the workforce when I’m done.
Chloe W., Ottawa, ON:
This Election Day, I’ll be voting Liberal because I’m thrilled with new research and development platform proposals. I spent last summer working in a research lab at Carleton University through funding from an NSERC grant. As a neuroscience student, it was an incredible opportunity for me to get practical experience and work with some of the leading researchers in my field. By the end of the summer, we had completed some really ground-breaking research under the tutelage of our senior researchers. Although I was proud to have been selected to work under the grant, I quickly learned that funding is the biggest limitation to research in Canada right now. People I worked with and colleagues all over the country have countless new and innovative ideas, but can’t pursue them due to a lack in funding. I couldn’t help but think how much further the program could reach – not only in terms of research conducted, but also in regards to how many more students could benefit from these grants. Canada is a knowledge-based economy, and without NSERC, not only can universities not do any research, but hospitals and other institutions lose out as well. Right now, most labs have inadequate funding. I know that Stéphane Dion’s proposal to increase NSERC funding to $1.275 billion will make a significant difference in my academic career, as well as in Canada’s role as an innovator on the world stage.
Dan P., Saskatoon, SK:
I’ve seen two federal elections happen during the time I’ve been studying at university in Saskatoon. I’m fed up with politicians pandering to students like me, without offering anything substantial. When Stephen Harper’s government came into power, I thought I might benefit from some of the promises he made when it came time to file my tax return. But when tax time rolled around, I was disappointed to learn that the tax credits offered by the Conservatives were worth just about nothing to me, and were non-refundable on top of it all. When I heard about the new post-secondary platform the Liberals put out, I was happy to see that this is a plan that will make a real difference in my life. The Education Grant that I would receive every three months would ensure that I’d have a little bit of extra money coming in all year round, at times when I really need it. Add this to the GST credit I already receive throughout the year and it means the government will be contributing around $1,000 cash to my education every single year. Like most of my peers, I work part-time while I go to school to make ends meet. The additional benefit of a $250 tax credit for working students is yet another reason I’m excited to vote Liberal in this election. It’s about time somebody stood up for students, and Stéphane Dion has a plan that will make a real difference for us.
CASA (Canadian Alliance of Student Associations):
“CASA believes the measures proposed by the Liberal Party will help students and families cope with the accelerated costs of education,” said Zach Churchill, National Director of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations. “The proposed plan, if implemented, can significantly enhance access to post-secondary education system, by providing funding to students who need it the most, while helping to lower the epidemic growth of student debt in this country.”
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