Where do Newfoundland and Labrador’s Political Parties Stand On the Issues Important to Students and Their Families?

Tutition Fees

When asked whether it supports reducing tuition fees at public post-secondary institutions in the province, the Liberal Party replied that it would commit to continuing to fund a tuition fee freeze for public university and college students. Extending the tuition fee freeze would keep tuition fees for university and college students the second lowest in Canada behind domestic tuition fee levels for Quebec residents.

Student Debt

The Liberal Party has committed to phase out the province’s student loans programme replacing it with up-front, needs- based grants. The plan will involve expanding the grant program annually by $20 per week until the loan portion is completely eliminated. As well, existing debt reduction grants will be made available to part-time students in addition to full-time students. The investments would position Newfoundland and Labrador’s student financial assistance system as the most generous in the country. In addition, the Liberal Party has indicated that it will extend existing debt reduction grants previously available only to full-time students to part-time students as well. The Liberal Party’s needs-based grants program will only be available to students enrolled in a course load of 80% or more.
The Liberal Party pledged to improve the assessment formula of Newfoundland and Labrador Student Aid by removing tools and equipment from the $500 allotment for textbooks, tools and equipment.

Funding and Research

When asked about the funding needs of Memorial University of Newfoundland and the College of the North Atlantic the Liberal Party provided few details on any specific future commitments.
The Liberal Party made a substantial commitment to removing future research funding matching requirements from the private sector. Many issues regarding intellectual property concerns and inadequate research funding across Canada are a result of these requirements.

Tuition Fees

When asked whether it supports reducing tuition fees at public post-secondary institutions in the province, the PC Party replied that it would commit to continuing to fund a tuition fee freeze for public university and college students. The promise amounts to a four year funding commitment of $54 million. Extending the tuition fee freeze would keep tuition fees for university and college students the second lowest in Canada behind domestic tuition fee levels for Quebec residents.

Student Debt

The PC Party has also committed to phase out the province’s student loans programme replacing it with up-front, needs- based grants. The plan will result in a reduction in student debt loads for new students through an estimated $18.9 million investment over four years. The investments would position Newfoundland and Labrador’s student financial assistance system as the most generous in the country. In addition, the PC Party has indicated that it will extend existing debt reduction grants previously available only to full-time students to part- time students as well. The PC Party’s needs-based grants program will only be available to students enrolled in a course load of 80% or more.

The PC Party did not provide details when asked about improving the assessment formula of Newfoundland and Labrador Student Aid.

Funding and Research

When asked about the funding needs of Memorial University of Newfoundland and the College of the North Atlantic the PC Party provided few details on any future commitments apart from previously announced funding projects such as the residence construction/reconstruction projects at the St. John’s and Grenfell campuses of MUN. The PC Party did not provide details of future plans for university research funding in the province apart from a general commitment to continue support for the Research and Development Corporation.

* The PC Party platform New Energy states that “to be fiscally responsible in certain circumstances, we may need to rearrange priorities.” An integral part of fiscal responsibility and leadership involves proper planning and delivering on election promises. The Federation, backed by the findings of recent polling data, believes that the fiscal health of the province requires the PC Party following through on its committment to an accessible post-secondary education system in the province.

Tuition Fees

When asked whether it supports reducing tuition fees at public post-secondary institutions in the province, the New Democratic Party replied that it would commit to a tuition fee reduction in its first year followed by progressive tuition fee reductions with the goal of free post-secondary education in Newfoundland and Labrador. The New Democratic Party’s plan would establish the province’s post-secondary education system as the most accessible in Canada.

Student Debt

The New Democratic Party has also committed to phase out the province’s student loans programme replacing it with up- front, needs-based grants. The investment would position Newfoundland and Labrador’s student financial assistance system as the most generous in the country.
In addition, the New Democratic Party has committed to review existing assessment criteria where the $500 limit on tools and equipment is not appropriate. Furthermore, the New Democratic Party has committed to a more equitable assessment formula that prevents clawbacks in student financial assistance from earnings pre-enrolment and in-study earnings.

Funding And Research

When asked about the funding needs of Memorial University of Newfoundland and the College of the North Atlantic the New Democratic Party provided few details on any future commitments.
The New Democratic Party indicated its support for increased social sciences and humanities research funding without any specific future funding commitments.The New Democratic Party also identified concerns with the lack of funding for independent university research over excessive private sector directed research.

Student Priorities

In the 1990s, when tuition fees were steadily rising in Newfoundland and Labrador, university enrolment plummeted. Not surprisingly, successive tuition fee freezes and reductions since 1999 have led to annual enrolment increases, including an increase of over 3 percent between 2001-02 and 2002- 03. In the last few years there have been significant enrolment increases from out-of-province students—particularly students from Nova Scotia where tuition fees are almost triple those in our province. In a recent poll, 84% of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians indicated that they support free post-secondary education. In this election, students and their families are looking for greater efforts to improve the accessibility and affordability of post-secondary education through expansion of up-front grants and a reduction in the upfront costs.

In the same poll, 92 percent of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians also indicated their concern that university and college students are still incurring large debt loads. In addition to reducing tuition fees, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians believe that one of the best ways to reduce student debt is by providing students with up-front, non-repayable grants and more accurate assessment criteria when applying for Newfoundland and Labrador Student Aid. The current needs assessment model used by the government includes a limit of $500 to cover the cost of books, tools and equipment. This assessment is inadequate and does not reflect the real costs of post- secondary education for many students. As well, students are penalized under the current formula for earning money while in-study and prior to entering university or college through clawbacks. In this election, students are looking for a fair assessment on their financial assistance and an expanded grants program.

It has become increasingly clear that the province is headed towards a labour shortage. In order to respond to this increased demand for labour, it is essential the province have a highly educated workforce. In particular, the public college system is in need of increased core funding if it is to meet the demands of the labour market in the years ahead. As well, despite low core funding and fellowship opportunities, students are attracted to Newfoundland and Labrador for the dynamic research opportunities available. Increased investment in the research interests of graduate students by the province will not only enable Memorial University of Newfoundland to recruit and retain the best students from around the world but will also make Memorial a key destination for quality post-secondary graduate education.