5 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PREMIER HOPEFULS:
Tuition Fee Protection, Fairness for International Students, Student Debt Reduction, Funding for Institutions, Students' Rights

Winnipeg—In a policy brief released today, the Canadian Federation of Students called hopefuls for the Premiership to prioritise 5 recommendations for post-secondary education.

The policy brief places an emphasis on measures to reduce student poverty and to continue increasing funding for universities and colleges. Recommendations include:

1. Legislated tuition fee protection;
2. An end to higher fees for international students, and the inclusion of internationalstudents under provincial public health insurance;
3. The conversion of a portion of every Manitoba student loan into an up-front grant, and other measures to improve student aid;
4. Increasing operating and capital funding for universities and colleges, with measures for greater accountability to the taxpayer; and
5. Legislation to protect students' right to organise and the rights of students living in campus residences.

Concluded Sopotiuk: “Universally accessible public education, from childcare through to all levels of post-secondary education, is one of the most important investments governments can make in people and the public good. Education stimulates the economy and helps break the cycle of poverty, and that is exactly why it is crucial to remove barriers like rising tuition fees and student debt.”

-30-

For a copy of the brief, further information or to arrange an interview, please contact the Canadian Federation of Students at

www.cfsmb.ca or (204) 783-0787:
Jonny Sopotiuk, Chairperson 204-797-4630 (cell)