OTTAWA — The largest organization for post-secondary students in Canada is calling on the federal government to fund university and college education the same way it does health care and enshrine it in legislation.
The Canadian Federation of Students is pushing for a federal post-secondary education bill that would see the federal government become more active in an area of provincial jurisdiction.
The student group says the federal government should repurpose cash used for programs like the registered education savings plan and instead create a $3.3-billion annual transfer for provinces to make post-secondary education free for students.
The federation says existing funding and education savings programs don't help low-income students pay for a college or university education.
The federation's lobbying effort for the federal Liberals to include post-secondary spending items in their first budget will be followed by another student lobbying week at the end of the month.
The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations will be lobbying parliamentarians to make sure the Liberals follow through on campaign promises to help students, fund research and innovation, and tackle youth unemployment.
