Liberal’s motion can’t Hide their record on Tuition

“The Liberals calling for investment to ease the burden of high tuition is like the Grinch calling for investment in Christmas gifts for Whoville,”. “I am bewildered by the Liberal Party, who had so many opportunities to turn talk into action, and who are now suddenly anxious about ‘offsetting the high costs of tuition.’”

Liberal cuts to post-secondary education in the 1990s made tuition soar – up 135% across Canada, and 141% in British Columbia.

“No wonder the children of low-income families are 2.5 times less likely to attend a post-secondary school than the children of high-income families. No wonder the number of students forced to work full-time while attending school full-time has increased by 130% since 1994. No wonder we have a critical skill shortage in the medical profession, when average med school tuition more than tripled under the Liberals, to $13,000 a year,”. “Tuition is just too high.”

“It’s also a matter of quality. Class sizes are exploding in our colleges and universities. Student to faculty ratios are as much as 60% higher in Canada than in American state schools. We may be graduating more people with degrees, but the quality of instruction is compromised.”

“That’s the Liberal record. And now with this motion they have shown that even their words come up short.”

“Meanwhile, the Conservative plan does no better for accessibility or quality. Students want lower tuition and smaller class sizes, not a tax credit for scholarship winners and a free textbook,”.

The NDP has consistently advocated for the restoration of stable, core funding to provinces for post-secondary education through a dedicated post-secondary transfer, as well as a national needs-based grant program and an overhaul of the student loan system to make it more simple, flexible, and responsive to students.