
By Ryan Job – Projector Politics columnist
The 2019 federal election is only days away, and for the first time millennials are the largest chunk of the electorate. That includes a lot of students.
So The Projector sorted through the major party platforms for promises on post-secondary education. Here are the results by party in alphabetical order.
Figures in brackets are costs over four years.
The Conservatives
- Require post-secondary institutions to commit to free speech and academic freedom to be eligible for research support grants
The Greens
- Eliminate post-secondary tuition and forgive existing federal student debt by redirecting money now spent on bursaries, tuition tax credits, the student loan system and student loan defaults ($48.02 billion)
- Remove two per cent cap on Indigenous education funding increases
The Liberals
The Liberal Party’s platform did not cost its education commitments.
- Increase Canada Student Grants to give students up to $1,200 more per year
- Extend post-graduation grace period to two years
- Allow students to delay loan payments until they make at least $35,000 a year—and put them on hold if income ever falls below that
- Allow new parents to pause student loan payments until their youngest child turns five
The NDP
- Work with provinces to cap and reduce tuition fees, with the ultimate goal of making post-secondary part of the public education system
- Eliminate interest rates on federal student loans ($2 billion)
- Move away from the loan system and improve access to non-repayable Canada Student Grants ($2.06 billion)
The People’s Party
The People’s Party’s platform does not include any commitments on post-secondary education.
Advance polls have closed, and Election day is Oct. 21.