Michael Ignatieff visits Dalhousie campus on cross Canada tour
Halifax, NS‐The Leader of the Official Opposition, Michael Ignatieff (Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and the Member of Parliament for Etobicoke‐Lakeshore) visited Dalhousie campus today on his cross Canada post‐secondary tour.
While addressing students, Mr. Ignatieff said “If we don’t get education right, nothing else matters.”
Michael Ignatieff
“Students are encouraged by Mr. Ignatieff’s attention to the challenges confronting the post‐secondary education system,” said Shannon Zimmerman, President of the Dalhousie Student Union. “Mr. Ignatieff stated that a liberal government would not like to see cuts made to post secondary education when reviewing ways to battle the federal deficit. A commitment that is encouraging for the students of Nova Scotia.”
The post‐secondary education system is currently plagued with problems including a $3 billion gap in federal funding provided for post‐secondary education through the Canada Social Transfer, a rapid acceleration of post‐secondary education costs, and a steady growth in the level of student debt at graduation.
Further, underrepresented groups, such as Aboriginal students, students with disabilities, rural and northern students, and low‐income students face persistent difficulties in accessing the post‐secondary system.
Canada’s leaders must address these numerous problems and take steps towards to fix a system in distress. For that reason, students are asking the Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada to make post-secondary education a key focus of the upcoming “Canada at 150: Rising to the Challenge” conference in late March.
“We know that a robust, accessible post‐secondary education system is necessary not only for stable economic growth, but it also a builds a healthier population and a more prosperous society,” continued Matt Anderson, President of the Saint Mary’s University Student Association. “The conference provides an exceptional opportunity to discuss how to build the system we need in this country.”
