Quebec young liberals push for tuition fee hike

Party youth push for increased tuition and financial aid

DANIEL HERCZ THE MCGILL DAILY (MCGILL UNIVERSITY)

MONTREAL (CUP) — The youth wing of Quebec’s Liberal Party is campaigning to lift the provincewide tuition fee freeze that has been in effect since 1996.

According to the Youth Commission of the Parti Libéral du Québec, the tuition fee freeze benefits the upper class at all Quebec universities by offering them a cheap ticket they do not need. They suggest regulated tuition increases along with more financial aid.

“Our position is an increase in Quebec tuition and a congruent increase in financial aid,” said Julien Morissette, policy co-ordinator for the Quebec Liberal Youth.

However, Max Silverman, a vicepresident with the McGill students’ society, said that historically, financial aid does not keep pace with tuition fee increases, and students who currently don’t receive adequate financial aid from the government would be forced further into debt — or prevented from going to university — if tuition were raised.

The McGill students’ society is currently working with student lobby group the Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec (FEUQ) and other student groups to pressure the government to keep the freeze on its platform in the coming election.

The McGill group will also be campaigning to have the freeze extended to out-of-province and international students.

During the last provincial election in 2003, la FEUQ threatened that 100,000 students would vote against the Liberal party if the tuition fee freeze was lifted. The freeze remained; however, Boris Savoie- Doyer, the McGill students’ society communication and political affairs co-ordinator, speculated that the party would not feel it needed the support of the FEUQ in the next election, which will happen this school year.

Morissette admitted that many Quebec residents might not welcome a tuition fee increase.

“People high up in the Liberal party are quite receptive to the increases. The biggest challenge is winning over the public,” he said.

In 2002, British Columbia lifted its six-year tuition fee freeze. According to Statistics Canada, the price of education doubled in the following three years, going from second lowest in the country to among the highest.