Thursday, November 13th 2008

By heather herda

     Student rallies were held in 14 Ontario cities on November 5, urging the provincial government to lower tuition fees. Thousands of students marched, protested and chanted slogans among several cities within the province of Ontario including Hamilton, Guelph, London, Kingston, Peterborough, Sault Ste. Marie, Orillia, Ottawa, Sudbury, Windsor and Thunder Bay. 

     The largest rally of the day, and one of the largest rallies in recent years, was held at Queen’s Park in Toronto. Police estimate that there could have been as many as 5,000 students present. The rallies were organized by the Ontario sector of the Canadian Federation of Students, hoping to persuade Premier Dalton McGuinty and the provincial government to lower tuition fees to that of 2004. The march in Toronto included a stop at the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.

     Ontario has the second-highest tuition fees in Canada, following Nova Scotia. McGuinty believes that students are responsible for paying such a large chunk of their postsecondary education fees due to the fact that they receive a “private benefit” from their lifetime earnings. He wants to build a “knowledge” economy where 70 per cent of jobs available will require a postsecondary education. Contrary to this, the provincial government raised tuition and student-aid programs three years ago. McGuinty claims the $1.5 billion set aside for student assistance is enough to cover the maximum eight per cent increase per year of tuition prices.

     Students claim that some government aid, such as the $150 Textbook and Technology Grant, don’t even begin to cover school costs. Unexpectedly, high tuition prices are not keeping students away from colleges and universities. While undergraduate applications are still below the peak of the 2003 double cohort, they are slowly on the rise. In 2005, over 442,000 students applied for undergraduate studies. This year, over almost 500,000 students applied.

     Though the numbers of undergraduate students are rising, so are the amounts of students turning to student loans to pay their fees. The Canadian Federation of Students estimate that, on average, a four-year degree student in postsecondary studies can build a $28,000 debt, which is up $20,000 from the $8,000 average in 1990. The Canadian Federation of Students points out that rising tuition fees dilutes the aid implemented by the government.

     Shelley Melanson, the chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students in Ontario, spoke to the crowd of students at Queen’s Park on November 5, “Dalton McGuinty has betrayed us time and time again.” Melanson claims that when McGuinty attended law school, his tuition cost $700 per year. Compare that to an average of $5,643 per year that students pay now, according to Statistics Canada. Ontario’s average of $5,643 is $919 higher than the national average.

     Jack Layton, federal NDP leader, and his wife Olivia Chow, attended the protest in Toronto on November 5. He addressed protestors in Queen’s Park, claiming, “The barriers of tuition fees and student debt are standing in the way of your dreams. Let’s lower those barriers.”

     John Milloy, the provincial Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, met with three members of the Canadian Federation of Students to discuss their concerns. Milloy believes the funding policy for postsecondary education is reasonable. Melanson states the CFS was disappointed with the meeting, as Milloy “didn’t bring any new information to the table”. The CFS is particularly frustrated since “Postsecondary education is no longer a choice.” According to Melanson, “It’s necessarily if we want to get a basic, entry-level job.”

     Melanson says that students plan to continue pressuring the government to lower tuition fees. Last month, more than 50,000 petition signatures were submitted by students, asking the government to lower tuition fees and to create a new policy on increasing Ontario’s funding level to the national average.

Tags: Queens’ Park, Rally, tuition