Mr. Speaker, we are, in fact, funding higher education for students, to the tune of $10 billion every year with our transfers to the provinces and territories. Again, I invite the hon. member to review the facts and start getting onside to help students, as we have been doing.
The expanded eligibility for low- and middle-income Canada student grants is expected to help over 42,000 students. The reduction of the parental contribution in Canada student loans is expected to help 92,000 students. The elimination of the in-study income from the needs assessment is expected to increase loans amounts for an estimated 87,000 students. The worst thing we could do for students, again, as I mentioned, is to follow the Liberal and NDP plan to increase taxes on Canadians, which would kill jobs and hurt students' ability to find jobs once they graduate.
Here is our record. We ended the Liberal practice of taxing scholarships and replaced it with a tax credit for textbooks, and the student loan debt has declined by 10% in real terms. We created apprenticeship grants and loans and over 500,000 have been given out; trade, training and tax cuts; and more jobs for students.
Let me reassure the hon. member that helping students remains the top priority of our government, but it is clear that our record is on one issue. When will the member opposite get on board and help support our initiatives?