KINGSTON – The Learning Passport in the “Liberal Family Pack” will help young Canadians pay for college and university, while the fully-costed Liberal Platform includes measures to help youth find employment and volunteer at home and abroad, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff said today.
“A Liberal government will put $1,000 a year into the pockets of every young Canadian in college and university – $1,500 a year for students from low-income families,” said Mr. Ignatieff while meeting with students at St. Lawrence College. “The Learning Passport in the Liberal Family Pack will reduce student debt and open the doors to post-secondary education for everyone – if you get the grades, you get to go.”
The $1-billion Canadian Learning Passport is the single largest annual investment in non-repayable federal student assistance in Canadian history, provided directly to students:
- $4,000 tax-free for every student in university, college or CÉGEP – $1,000 per year over four years; and
- $6,000 – or $1,500 each year – for students from low-income families.
Learning Passport funds will be provided through the Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP). Students and their families will not be required to provide any matching funding to receive the Learning Passport.
“Young Canadians face other challenges – including the worst level of joblessness in a generation,” said Mr. Ignatieff. “A Liberal government will create new incentives to hire youth, new opportunities to gain valuable volunteer experience at home and abroad, and change our politics so that it directly engages young Canadians.”
In addition to the Liberal Family Pack, the Liberal Platform contains measures to:
- Tackle youth unemployment and create up to 170,000 new jobs for young Canadians by giving companies a 100% EI rebate for hiring young workers;
- Create meaningful volunteer opportunities at home and abroad for young people with our Canada Service Corps, which forgives $1,500 in federal student loan debt for young Canadians who volunteer; and
- Engage young voters with the development of an online voting option, make government data available online free of charge, and establish a “People’s Question Period” that will allow Canadians to directly engage the prime minister and cabinet ministers with unfiltered questions.
“We can create a bright future for Canada’s youth – without raising your taxes – if we stop corporate giveaways, turn the page on wasteful spending like $30-billion fighter jets, and focus on what really matters: giving every Canadian the tools to succeed in the years ahead,” said Mr. Ignatieff.
The Liberal plan for Canada’s youth
Learning Passport
Part of the Liberal Family Pack, the new Learning Passport will open the doors for every young Canadian who wants to go to college, university or CÉGEP, and help every family struggling to save enough to pay for it:
- $1,000 a year over four years for every high school student in Canada to use when they go to college, university or CÉGEP, $4,000 in total.
- For students in low income families, the amount will be $1,500 a year, or an extra $6,000 in total.
Tackling youth unemployment
Youth unemployment is almost double the national average. To combat youth unemployment, a Liberal government will implement a Youth Hiring Incentive, granting companies a 100% rebate on Employment Insurance premiums for every new young Canadian they hire. This will help small- and medium-sized businesses create up to 170,000 new jobs for young Canadians.
Youth volunteers: a new Canada Service Corps
A Liberal government will create a new Canada Service Corps so young Canadians volunteering at home and overseas can apply their skills towards solving some of the world’s most urgent problems:
- Create meaningful volunteer opportunities at home and abroad for young people graduating from post-secondary education; and
- Forgive $1,500 in Canada Student Loans for young Canadians who donate at least 150 hours of service in a year within a Canada Service Corps position.
Respecting and renewing our democracy
Canada’s youngest voters have consistently had the lowest voter turnout. It’s time to harness the power of the internet to bring democratic participation closer to citizens. A Liberal government will:
- Direct Elections Canada to develop an online voting option, starting with pilot projects, including for post-secondary students living outside their ridings, to start discussion about an internet voting option for every voter;
- Commit to open government so that as much government information as possible is available to the public online, free of charge; and
- Hold a weekly “People’s Question Period” to allow Canadians to directly engage the prime minister and cabinet ministers with unfiltered questions. As prime minister, Michael Ignatieff will take part in People’s Question Period every month.
“This initiative addresses the negative impact on access to education brought on by the increase in tuition fees facing Canadian students over the past 20 years.” (Louis-Philippe Savoie, president of the Quebec Federation of University Students (FEUQ), March 29, 2011)
“The plan would also help, in a small way, to lighten the debt loads of young Canadians. The Liberals are also to be commended for not creating a new bureaucracy, using the existing Registered Education Savings Program system to deliver the money… The money is better spent on building up students than at building out new prisons – something the Conservatives continue to commit to, in defiance of all evidence at the growing cost of those prisons, and of what actually drives economic growth.” (Editorial, Globe and Mail, March 29, 2011)
“The announcement by Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff illustrates an understanding of the challenges facing many Canadian students – primarily not having the necessary funds to access PSE. The Canadian Learning Passport is a positive investment that will not only help students, but their families as well.” (Zach Dayler, National Director, Canadian Alliance of Student Associations, March 29, 2011)
« The FAECUM cannot help but recognise the relevance of the LPC initiative, which focuses on the need for financial aid before and during post-secondary education. This aid is very welcome in the eyes of Quebec students. “These grants are a welcome form of support to Quebec students. $4,000 to $6,000 in guaranteed financial aid will not only have a positive impact on postsecondary education, but it will remove the financial barriers associated with the career choices of many young Quebecers,” stated Marc-André Ross, Secretary General for FAÉCUM. The Liberal Party of Canada has ultimately increased our expectations for other federal political parties in terms of postsecondary education.” (Press Release, Fédération des associations étudiantes du campus de l’Université de Montréal, March 29, 2011)
“University of Guelph president Alastair Summerlee had nothing but praise for the latest federal Liberal campaign promise… ‘It’s absolutely amazing. It’s a very, very positive contribution,’ Summerlee said in a phone interview.” (Guelph Mercury, March 29, 2011)
“The Liberal Party of Canada understands that students don’t have the financial resources to pursue their studies.” (Léo Bureau-Blouin, president of FECQ, La Fédération étudiante collégiale du Québec, March 29, 2011)
“‘Having money up front might be a better incentive for students to continue their education, rather than tax credits, which can be very vague in someone’s mind…And the lower-income students could stand to gain from this — should they take the initiative to open an RESP — since they benefit least from the current tax refunds.” (Paul Cappon, president of the Canadian Council on Learning, March 29, 2011)
“The $1,000-to-$1,500 deposits the Liberals are proposing is more than the current tax credits offer. The existing tax credits are worth about half as much. And they’re non-refundable, making it more difficult for low income families to take advantage.” (Michael Smart, economics professor at the University of Toronto, Postmedia News, March 29, 2011)
“Students have long been calling for more generous up-front grants to counter rising tuition fees, and the Canadian Learning Passport is a significant step forward. With the costs of education beginning in September, most students cannot afford to wait for a tax credit that comes months or years later. An increase in up-front grants will undoubtedly have a greater impact on accessibility and will ease the financial burden for far more students.” (Meaghan Coker, President of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance, March 29, 2011)
“The Liberal plan is a meaningful contribution towards easing the crushing burden of student debt, because it is money that doesn’t have to be repaid.” (David Molenhuis, National Director of the Canadian Federation of Students, Canadian Press, March 29, 2011)
