Thank you for the comment.
Obviously any investment in education is a positive investment, to make it easier for students. In terms of the income work exemption that we sat here last year asking the committee to consider, it has been felt as a positive investment.
That being said, the increase from $50 to $100 is a start. We know that across the provinces.... I believe that in Alberta it's higher and in fact is closer to $200. So it's a start, and while it does free up more money for students on a day-to-day basis, puts more money in their pockets and makes it easier to buy groceries, pay rent, or pay for textbooks, or whatever it may be, we need to consider more mechanisms that are going to put more actual dollars in the pockets of students.
Tax credits and things like that are great when that student graduates, but on a day-to-day basis, having those extra funds to purchase food or textbooks, whatever it may be, is important.
The initial investment that we saw last year is positive. I think the message from my membership would be that we can always do better to make it easier for students.