Dateline: 01/18/06
The high cost of university and college tuition, soaring student debt and the looming skills shortage make education and training in Canada an ongoing election issue, although a relatively low-key one. Here's where the major Canadian federal parties stand on education and training in the 2006 Canadian federal election campaign.
Liberal Party on Education and Training
- To provide broader access to university and college, the Liberals are promising a 50/50 Plan in which the federal government will pay half of an undergraduate's first year and last year tuition, to a maximum of $3000 in any single year.
- If elected, the Liberals propose expanding the Canada Access grants program for post-secondary students in low income families. The program, which now pays half of the first year tuition, would be extended to all four years of undergraduate study.
- The Liberal Party proposes putting $1 billion into modernizing post-secondary infrastructure, including teaching hospitals.
- The Liberals would put $150 million over five years into assisting with international study opportunities for Canadians studying abroad and international students studying in Canada.
- The Liberals propose putting $3.5 billion over six years into implementing partnership agreements with the provinces on workplace skills in the areas of literacy, and workforce participation of under-represented groups like immigrants and people with disabilities.
- The Liberals will support apprenticeship training.
- The Liberals also plan to increase support for university-based research.
Conservative Party on Education and Training
- A Conservative government would invest $100 million a year in support for post-secondary students, including enhancing the Canada Student Loans program.
- The Conservatives propose exempting the first $10,000 of student scholarship or bursary income from taxation.
- The Conservatives would provide a federal tax credit of up to $500 for spending by post-secondary students on textbooks.
- The Conservatives plan to work with the provinces to remove funding for post-secondary education from the Canada Social Transfer and ensure that there is a federal transfer dedicated solely to post-secondary education and training.
- The Conservatives propose support for apprenticeship training through a $1000 Apprenticeship Incentive Grant to cover the cost of tools and accessories, and an Apprenticeship Job Creation Tax Deduction for companies that establish apprenticeship positions.
- The Conservatives plan to invest an additional $500 million over the next five years to support university-based research through the granting councils.
Bloc Québécois on Education
- The Bloc Québécois is demanding an increase of $2.75 billion over three years in federal transfers to Quebec for post-secondary education and social programs.
NDP On Education and Training
- The NDP vow to work to restore the funding cuts made to transfer payments for post-secondary education by the Liberals in the 1990s.
- The NDP propose a long-term, stable, dedicated transfer payment to the provinces and territories in return for a commitment to lower tuition fees and better access to post-secondary education.
- The NDP will work on a stable, long-term grant system for every year of post-secondary study, including special grants for rural and Aboriginal youth.
- The NDP propose an overhaul of the Canada Student Grants Program.
- The NDP will work to increase federal financial support for university-based research.
- The NDP propose reforming Employment Insurance to make it a key resource for public training strategies and programs. They would broaden Employment Insurance benefits to include employees in full-time training programs and unemployed workers who wouldn't qualify otherwise.
