According to Human Resources and Social Development Canada, over 75% of new jobs require some form of post-secondary education and training. In the last decade, tuition fees for university and college education have more than tripled and student debt has more than doubled. Those most affected by the rising costs of post-secondary education are families with the least financial resources. Young people from the poorest 20% of Canadian families are less than half as likely to enroll in university as the richest 20%. Canadians with the lowest incomes pay highest costs for post-secondary education because they finish school with massive debt loads and high interest rates.
Although post-secondary education is a provincial jurisdiction, the federal government has an important role to play in helping to ensure the affordability |
and accessibility of post-secondary education. Currently, the provincial legislatures regulate fees directly. This means that the federal government spends billions each year in fiscal transfers to the provinces without any parameters on how those dollars must be spent. Parties and leaders must commit to federal vision and leadership to ensure that all Canadians have an equal opportunity to pursue post-secondary education. A Post-Secondary Education Act and federal Ministry would allow the federal government to work with the provinces to cap and reduce the costs of a post-secondary education while also ensuring high quality.
* This analysis is based on public information available as of September 10, 2008.
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