Finance committee  The worst way of convincing people would be to see the money go into less effective forms of assistance, like tax credits, or to see a reduction in the amount of money and see it sent directly to transfers. A lot of the debate that's happened around it is a result of the politi

Finance committee  Yes, absolutely. I can confirm exactly that. I applaud your regard for the CPI adjustments in that as well, because loans, grants, and most programs haven't really kept pace with inflation. Tuition, of course, is always acknowledging CPI.

Finance committee  To the first point on reviews, this is a program that's been reviewed three times. Compared to other programs, it compares very favourably on issues of displacement and accountability. If you look at other programs--tax credits are a good example--from my point of view, I'm not a

Finance committee  I think the review conversation gets really lost in the political legacy of the Millennium Foundation. On your point about a wider review, I think the appetite is absolutely there, and that's something we support. That's what we're trying to get at in a pan-Canadian accord, loo

Finance committee  First off, it's important to acknowledge that in Canada post-secondary education is an issue of provincial jurisdiction, and we recognize that. The federal government plays a strong role in funding universities—$2 billion in tax credit supports each year—so there's a reality arou

Finance committee  I think so. Certainly, that's something we've heard from the large number of students who are on the program. It's upfront in nature, so it's money that's going to students to offset the high cost of tuition, the country-wide average of which has risen 180% since the mid-1990s.

Finance committee  I don't think any students in the country are actually.... I would say 100% are saying that.... There's a broad consensus around a looming loss, I guess, of $350 million of upfront non-needs-based non-repayable grants. Everybody is supportive of that. I think what you're gettin

Finance committee  Do you mean is it fair and easy to understand in how it's delivered to students?

Finance committee  First allow me to thank you for inviting us to present today. I'll quickly introduce myself by saying I'm a student at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, and president of the student society there. We represent about 45,000 students. Hopefully many of you are also