Mr. Speaker, the recent budget did not fully address all issues affecting post-secondary student loans.
The budget failed to eliminate parental income from the formula used to determine the amount of the loan. The budget also has failed to allow living expenses incurred by students who work away from home during the pre-study period as a deduction from pre-study period income. Both of these failures reduce the maximum amount of loans students are eligible to receive.
Furthermore, the budget has not provided assistance to those students whose loans are defaulted and placed with a collection agency. Students are hounded and harassed by collection agencies in a very unprofessional manner.
Student groups have indicated that the government has failed to address all concerns regarding student loan issues. When will the government get it right?