Media advisory - Students available to comment on 2016 Federal Budget

OTTAWA, March 21, 2016 /CNW/ - Students will be available to comment on the 2016 Federal Budget immediately following its release on Tuesday, March 22. During pre-budget consultations, the Canadian Federation of Students recommended redirecting funding to double the Canada Student Grants Program, fulfilling the treaty right of all Indigenous students to a post-secondary education and investing in youth jobs.

THE FACTS:

• National student debt is now $19 billion, and students requiring a Canada Student Loan graduate with an average debt of over $28,000.
• Tuition fees in Canada range from $2,660 (Newfoundland and Labrador) to $7,868 (Ontario) and have increased at five times the rate of inflation since the mid 1990s.
• Since 2008, Canada has fallen from 8^th to 19^th in OECD rankings of higher education and training systems.
• Annual funding increases for the Post-Secondary Student Support Program have been capped at 2 percent since 1996, denying funding to thousands of learners.

 

WHAT:	Canadian Federation of Students responds to 2016 Federal Budget
DATE:	Tuesday, March 22, 2016
TIME:	4:00 p.m.
PLACE:	Parliament Hill, Centre Block
WHO:	Bilan Arte, National Chairperson
	Anne-Marie Roy, National Deputy Chairperson

 

The Canadian Federation of Students is Canada's largest student organisation, uniting more than 650,000 students. The Federation and its predecessor organisations have represented students in Canada since 1927.

 

SOURCE Canadian Federation of Students

For further information: Sarah McCue, Communications Coordinator, 613-797-6626 (cell) or [e-mail]