On September 11, at a UCP-organized multicultural media round table on “Alberta’s austerity invoking” MacKinnon Report at the Alberta Legislature in Edmonton with Finance and Treasury Board Minister, Travis Toews, Diversity Magazine had the chance to ask two questions:
Question 1: Do you feel that ordinary Albertans should feel a sense of dis-service for being asked to single-handedly pay the province’s debt at the expense of social services like healthcare and affordable education?
The Alberta Finance Minister did not answer directly. He said they are committed to maintaining high quality education and healthcare without cuts. He added that they will take the recommendations of the MacKinnon Report seriously in their upcoming budget. That led us to our follow up question…
Will a freeze in tuition not negatively impact Alberta students as universities and colleges will increase tuition to meetup with funding cuts?
On this one, the Honorable Minister said they are not compelled to take all the recommendations of the MacKinnon Report. “…We are still to decide. We haven’t made any decisions around that…,” he concluded.
Two days ago, University of Alberta Student Journalism Newspaper, The Gateway reported increase in tuition fees coming to University of Alberta. A Gateway article quoted David Turpin, the President of the University of Alberta at a State of the University address, “A balance between tuition increases on the one hand, and cuts on the other will be one of the most significant decisions our Board of Governors will make in the year”.
You should expect these kind of changes in other colleges and universities in Alberta. The previous NDP government froze tuition until 2020, ensuring that students will save $2,000 on a four-year degree. In addition, the previous government limited non-instructional fees and market modifiers. As a result, Alberta’s tuition went from being the highest in Canada to the third lowest. The NDP Opposition who put the tuition freeze has been vocal about this upcoming tuition hikes across Alberta for colleges and universities.
“Premier Kenney blew a $4.5 billion hole in the budget with a massive giveaway to big corporations and now he’s asking students to pay double to dig him out of this mess,” said Rachel Notley, Leader of the NDP Official Opposition. “Some students will be forced to delay their post-secondary education and still others won’t be able to attend at all. That’s not fair.
“Many of these students are on their own for the first time,” added Dave Eggen, NDP Opposition Critic for Advanced Education. “This will just make life harder for students, many of whom are already struggling. They’re working hard and they’re putting in long days so they can do well in school and prepare for their futures. The last thing they need is the stress of a potential 100 per cent increase in their tuition”.
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