: — ET October 19, 1994 _ Feds say students must carry more debt to reduce transfer payments by Derek DeCloet OTTAWA (CUP) — Lloyd Axworthy confirmed Oct. 5 what many had been expecting: the federal government may stop giving cash to the provinces for post- secondary education. The result for university and col- lege students-could be higher tuition and larger student debts after graduation. Axworthy, the federal minister of human resources development, unveiled the Lib- eral government's “disctission paper” on social policy reform at a press confer- ence on Parliament Hill. It’s the first step in a process that will change the face of unemployment insurance, welfare and higher education in Canada. This year, Ottawa will transfer $2.6 | billion to the provinces to spend on uni- versity and colleges. Axworthy proposes instead to start giving money directly to students, mostly in the form of student loans. The discussion paper was released as part of a policy-making process which now moves to public consultations to be carried on into early 1995. Axworthy’s discussion paper admits that “replacing federal cash transfers would put upward pressure on tuition ~ fees,” since universities would have to make up that $2.6 billion from elsewhere. But Axworthy insisted a new loan sys- tem would help make up for those rising costs. “The key issue today is accessibility by Cynthya Peranandam TORONTO (CUP) —A Toronto umbrella group is trying to get a reduced rate for post-secondary students to use the pub- lic transportation system. The Metro Universities and Colleges Caucus (MUCC) represents more than » 280,000 post-secondary students in greaterToronto. Its members includeYork University, University of Toronto, Ryerson, Centennial, George Brown, Humber and Seneca colleges. The TTC now has subsidized rates for high school students and seniors. A | regular bus pass costs $67.50. _ The reason high-school students get a reduced fare is to relieve some of the burden from parents, who usually pay for their children’s transportation. But the MUCC is arguing that post- by Holly Keyes Recently, we received a press release regarding homophobia in the govern- ment. There have been several Bills and _ legislature regarding same-sex couples | and homosexuals in general in the past few years. Bill 167 was defeated by the Ontario | NDP with claims that it would injure the traditional nuclear family. Bill 167 would _ grant same-sex couples that have been | together as long as a common-law, het- _ erosexual couple with the same rights and responsibilities normally granted to common-law couples. The rights cur- rently withheld from homosexual couples are those of jointly purchasing and inheriting property, survivor benefits — to make sure they [students] have the proper means to finance that [rising tu- ition fees],” he said. “Under the present system . . . the fact of the matter is tuition fees have doubled.” To pay back the hefty loans that would be needed for higher tuition fees, the discussion paper favours a system of income-contingent loan repayment. In other words, the more you make at your job after graduation, the larger your loan payments would be. It sug- gests payment could be taken directly out of a graduate’s paycheque. Student groups were quick to de- nounce the entire scheme. “The federal government is abandoning its responsibility to higher education,” said Keith McArthur, the academic af- fairs commissioner for Queen’s University’s student council, in an Oct. 5 press release. “This would mean that students in Canada would have to pay a higher pro- portion of university costs than almost anywhere else in the world.” When it was suggested student debts might increase to an average of $50,000 or higher for an undergraduate degree, Axworthy said, “I don’t think that’s a fig- ure that would be appropriate.” Richard Stanton, president of Carleton University Students’ Associa- tion, said the income-contingent repay- ment proposal makes it “easier to say, ‘Let's load up (debt) on students.’ That's really what worries us.” Axworthy pointed out that univer- Toronto students' group lobbies government to pay bus fares secondary students are also in a financial pinch, precisely because they do not live with their parents and thus have more expenses. University and college students are expected to pay the fare of a full-wage earner while accommodating high liv- ing costs on part-time work’s earnings, the MUCC argues. MUCC’s research estimates post- secondary students’ average annual costs are between $15,464 and $16,204. This amount includes tuition fees, books, rent, utilities, transportation and personal ex- penses. However, the TTC sees university and college students as another group to subsidize, adding to the commission's overall costs. To subsidize post-secondary student rates, the TTC would have to pick up the from pensions, employee benefits from private companies and the ability to adopt children the same as all other people. These are the rights of all Canadians, ex- cept those in same-sex relationships. One particular politician, Nova Scotia Liberal MP Roseanne Skoke, has been canvassing for the defeat of legisla- ture such as Bill 167. Skoke has been quoted as saying that “...to condone ho- mosexuality, which is an inhuman act, would make us a pagan nation.” Skoke also stated that she didn’t believe that gay or lesbian’s should ever be awarded custody of a child and that gays and lesbians don’t deserve any protection from discrimination because of their sexual orientation. The Charter of Rights and Free- = Other Press sity and college graduates have much better chances in the job market and usu- ally have higher incomes than people without post-secondary degrees. “There's a direct link between edu- cation and income, and people have to take an investment in themselves of their own time and effort.” Axworthy spent much of the press con ference denying a Toronto Star re- port that the government had already made a decision to cut $7 billion from social programs — including a com- plete phase-out of education transfers and an expected doubling of tuition by 1997. tab, which would likely be translated into increases inTTC fares all around. The MUCC says it needs the help of pro- vincial and municipal politicians, but is not sure how forthcoming this would be. Post-secondary student passes have been implemented in other cities like Guelph andVictoria, and have been suc- cessful. Other cities like Montreal have refused to grant reduced-fare bus passes for post-secondary students. Rebecca Kranias, a fourth-year en- vironmental studies student, says that a cheaper pass is the better way to go. “We're not making money; we're spend- ing it to be in school,” she says. “I would definitely buy a student pass.” Linda Tam, also an environmental studies student working at Toronto's Healthy City Office, believes that a uni- versity pass should be cheaper than a high school student pass. “We live on shoe-string budgets because school is so expensive,”’Tam says. “I know that a lot of my friends don’t use the TTC because the high price is Homophobia in the government Nova Scotia MP Rosanne Skokes closes mind and opens mouth doms, which states that all individuals are equal in the law and everyone has the right to equal protection and benefit of the law without discrimination, is part of the Canadian Constitution. The Canadian Human Rights Act, though it doesn’t explicitly state sexual orientation, it does prohibit discrimina- tion in federally regulated employment. The Provincial Human Rights Codes (except for Newfoundland, PEI, NWT and Alberta) also protects every citizen from discrimination based on sexual ori- entation. If you feel strongly about these viewpoints you can write to Jean Chretien at Room 309-S Centre Block, House of Commons, Ottawa, K1A 0A6, Roseanne Skoke, MP at Room 630 Confederation Building, House of Commons, Ottawa, K1A 0A6 and/or Svend Robinson, MP at 483 West Block, House of Commons, Ottawa, K1A 0A6. oduceeion The Star reported that its informa- tion comes from a leaked cabinet docu- ment. “Sometimes figures like that are used to scare people. Using speculative docu- ments or stories doesn’t help,” he said. Francine Lalonde, human resources critic for the opposition Bloc Québécois, said the proposals were “destabilizing for universities” in Quebec and the rest of Canada. In response to the possible cuts to education, the Canadian Federation of Stu- dents (CFS), a national student lobby group, is launching a campaign aimed at prohibitive.” With more students buying a cheaper pass, the TTC would also profit, Tam argues. The MUCC also identified other benefits. Many students who are now using alter- nate ways of transportation — car-pool- ing, walking, or cycling — would be PUTS . * THE PEAK - 1982. bh increasing student awareness about the federal government's social policy re- view. As an alternative to income-contin- gent loans, the CFS supports an educa- tion tax for corporations to pay for edu- cation. The progressive tax system will force those who make more than others after graduation to pay more money into the tax system for education spending. The CFS believes that “by spreading the cost of post-secondary education among all Canadians, the societal benefits of an educated populace are affirmed.” Group urges free transit passes to all students encouraged to take public transportation, resulting in a decrease in congestion on the roads. Said Sadek Rahman, a Ryerson student involved in the MUCC: “Post-secondary students in Metro Toronto feel that af- fordable transportation is a key ingredi- ent to accessible education.” walk 782 Colursbia Street Silliards cm 527-8819 Visit our new prermises and enjoy He biggest and best Billiard Hall and Table Tennis facility in the Country! Food, Beverages, Pool, Darts, Ping-Pong Foosball, and other Games! This coupon is not valid after October 31, 1994 nor with any other discount offer.