SAULT STE. MARIE – The Liberal Express drove through the Sault today to meet with local educators to discuss of the Liberal plan to build the best-educated, most highly-skilled workforce in the world.
“Unlike Stephen Harper, we understand why learning needs more support,” said Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff. “A better educated population will drive innovation that fosters economic growth, and provide the skill sets necessary to fill the high value-added jobs – in manufacturing, in forestry, in mining – that are so crucial to Canada’s future economic success.”
At a roundtable on education and innovation, Mr. Ignatieff discussed the Liberal party’s commitment to introduce new initiatives to help middle-class families send their kids to college or university.
“Our position is, ‘you get the grades, you get to go,’” said Mr. Ignatieff. “With the rising cost of post-secondary education and unprecedented household debt levels, families are being squeezed more and more – and some young people are being excluded from the opportunities out there because they can’t afford a higher education.”
Liberals will also lift the cap on Aboriginal post-secondary education to help expand the horizons of young Aboriginals who deserve the equality their grandparents were promised.
“Early learning and child care, lifting the cap on Aboriginal education, investing in colleges and universities, closing the literacy gap, improving language and skills training – we need to strengthen this network of social programs to rebuild our economy and prepare for the future,” said Mr. Ignatieff.
“What I’ve been hearing on the Liberal Express, in every region of the country, is that Canadians want a government that invests in schools, not prisons. They want a government that gives our young people hope and opportunity, instead of spending billions of our tax dollars to put them behind bars.
“That’s the kind of compassionate, progressive, responsible government that Liberals want to provide,” he said.
