Statement made on 09 June 2011 by Senator Claudette Tardif
Hon. Claudette Tardif (Deputy Leader of the Opposition):
Honourable senators, nearly 2 million Canadians have student loans, and many are forced to use other types of credit, such as credit cards, family loans and lines of credit, in order to make ends meet while finishing their post-secondary education.
In 2009 the average debt for university graduates was $26,680. That number is set to grow as a large proportion of young Canadians struggle to find a permanent job. At a time when interest rates are at historic lows, the government is charging about 8 per cent on student loans. Budget 2011 fails to deliver affordable and accessible post-secondary education to all Canadians.
As the Executive Director of the Canadian Association of University Teachers stated on June 6:
You build a better society by investing in education, not in prisons.
How does the leader's government plan to ensure that post-secondary students have the necessary tools and resources to repay their loans and therefore be able to build their net worth?
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