Human Resources committee  I think there could be a couple of things. One is the idea of needs-based assistance. It would examine the idea of how to incorporate needs-based assistance into it instead of just low income. Then I think Scott said something earlier about mature students. Currently, mature students aren't eligible for this grant because you can only access it after four years of study.

Human Resources committee  That's full tuition fees for low-income students, you said?

Human Resources committee  It's close to 600,000 students.

Human Resources committee  Yes, it's undergraduates, graduates, and student unions. It's about 85 student unions across the country.

Human Resources committee  I think Scott touched on it a little bit, and I think I heard some members speaking about it earlier, but the idea of a national system of needs-based grants, a comprehensive system, would be a bit broader than what's currently on the table, so it's broader than what the Canada access grants currently represent.

Human Resources committee  Certainly I think there's room for that debate and discussion within this committee. Our priority is ensuring that students get the financial assistance they need, so hopefully all committee members are interested in discussing how best to do that. Absolutely, I think there's a lot of information and research out there that does provide different statistics for low-income versus needs-based assistance.

Human Resources committee  Absolutely, and we have long said that there needs to be a discussion or at least an examination of who is receiving the financial aid from the federal government. The quote that I stated in terms of families over $70,000 benefiting the most from RESPs is from Don Drummond, the chief economist of the TD Bank Financial Group.

Human Resources committee  In terms of the idea of sharing responsibilities, I absolutely do favour the idea that there needs to be a sharing of responsibilities, especially for something as important as post-secondary education, which does affect all of Canada's economy. Obviously, there are different implications for trained skilled workers in different provinces, but overall the necessity for a skilled and educated populace is a concern for the entire country, not just for specific provinces.

Human Resources committee  The point I was trying to make was that up-front student financial assistance is the most effective measure for student financial aid. From our perspective a broad-based system is absolutely necessary, and currently what exists in the country is not a national system of needs-based grounds; we do not have a comprehensive system of financial assistance.

Human Resources committee  Yes, I do support the expansion of the grants program.

Human Resources committee  I think you've raised a very good point in terms of where the responsibility lies. Certainly we understand that post-secondary education is a provincial jurisdiction. Education in general has been left up to the provinces, but historically the federal government has always played a role in post-secondary education, much like it has in health care.

Human Resources committee  “Once again” might be too many times, but certainly we agree with the assessment that tax credits and after-the-fact tax breaks for students are not the means to provide student financial assistance. As I said, most students aren't benefiting from the tax credits. In fact a lot of students, not even realizing that these tax credits are available for them once they start making income are simply transferring these tax credits to their parents.

Human Resources committee  Yes, absolutely. Most students in fact don't make enough money to be paying taxes.

Human Resources committee  I've got to fit it in in seven minutes. So over 350,000 students in Canada are forced to borrow to finance their education every year. Depending on the province, average student debt for a four-year program ranges from $25,000 to $28,000 per student. Upfront financial barriers, namely tuition fees and other costs associated with pursuing a post-secondary education, have created a profound participation gap among Canadian families.

Human Resources committee  Good afternoon. Thanks very much. I'd like to thank the committee for inviting me here this afternoon to present on behalf of the over a half million members who comprise the Canadian Federation of Students, at over 80 student unions across the country. My comments today will be focused on the importance of non-repayable student financial assistance, particularly as upfront assistance rather than back-end measures.