Dear Phoebe DeCiman:
Thank you
for the opportunity during this provincial election campaign
to respond to the Saskatchewan Student Coalition on the topic
of post-secondary
education. The New Green Alliance is pleased to offer our responses
to the questions that you have raised.
Sincerely,
Ben Webster
Leader, New Green Alliance
NGA candidate for Prince Albert Northcote
Saskatchewan Provincial Election 2003 Party Questionnaire
Please complete the following questionnaire and return us, no later
than Monday, October 27, 2021 - Fax to (306)-586-8812 or email to executive@ursu.uregina.ca
Phoebe DeCiman, President
University of Regina Students Union
221 Riddell Centre Building
University of Regina Regina, SK S4S 0A2
1. The Saskatchewan Student Coalition requested an increase in operating
grants for universities. Is your party prepared to commit increased
funds for operating grants for post-secondary institutions, and if
so, how do you plan to fund these increases?
This is one element of our Election Platform passed by the general
membership at convention 2003. This supports earlier policy resolutions:
A New Green Alliance Government will restore adequate public funding
to Saskatchewan's universities. The corporate sector's growing stranglehold
on universities shall be eliminated. All qualified citizens of Saskatchewan
are entitled to free higher education as they are to health care and
secondary education. For all academically qualified residents, student
tuition fees will be rapidly reduced and eventually eliminated for
four years of education.
2. How do you plan to ensure these increased operating grants will
directly help students by targeting tuition fees?
The NGA has no plans to become directly involved in internal University
operations. Academic institutions require a level of autonomy to maintain
the integrity of the education process and academic freedom. The issue
of tuition for post-secondary, undergrad education will be addressed
when tuition fees for Saskatchewan students are phased out as per NGA
plans. See the policy quoted above.
3. The SSC has asked for a multi-year commitment for operating grants.
How does your party plan to sustain these grants over your term in
government?
The entire focus of the
NGA is based on long-term perspectives. We believe that much of what
is wrong in how our society works is the
result of short-term perspectives that are irresponsible over the long
term. We know that reforms in many areas are going to require a significant
reform of our taxation / revenue situation. That has to happen immediately,
and then all Saskatchewan institutions and communities can have confidence
that sustainable policies and financing will be in place. We are also
committed to a "Quality Saskatchewan" program that would
work to have Saskatchewan products, communities and institutions,
and especially our academic institutions, become certified as high
quality
, and that are recognized nationally and internationally. To obtain
such quality recognition and to sustain that degree of recognition
/ certification, will demand that government and the governing
boards of our institutions be absolutely committed to quality over
the long
term. Get
ting this long term commitment from all is one of the key benefits
of the "Quality Saskatchewan" plan. This is a longer term
development and would require the involvement of the community at all
levels, and with Saskatchewan's post-secondary institutions, this would
certainly require the involvement of student representatives throughout
the process.
4. Currently, many Saskatchewan students use co-op education training
as part of their programme, and many of these jobs are at Saskatchewan's
crown corporations. How will your party ensure that co-op programmes
remain accessible for Saskatchewan students? Please elaborate.
Certainly student co-op education training is one very appropriate
method of bringing young people into the economy of the Province, regardless
of the economic sector or region of the province. Although the NGA
does not address that specific issue by policy or platform statement,
I believe it is a reasonable extrapolation from other policy statements
to understand that successful integration of students into our larger
society and economy must be seen as an extension of our total commitment
to quality education, quality communities and quality local economies.
In Saskatchewan our economy has public and private components, and
all sectors need to be on-board in a sustainable and comprehensive
plan to build these opportunities that benefit the new worker and thereby,
the entire community and economy.
5. Currently Saskatchewan students face huge sums of debt and the
average student debt across Canada is $25,000. This debt is in the
form of student loans. The Saskatchewan Student Coalition has asked
that the government reform the student loan programme to make it less
detrimental to students. How does your party plan to reform student
loans?
To this point the NGA does not have specific policy that deals with
the structure of the current Student Loan Programme. We have our over-all
commitment to supporting all Saskatchewan young people as they take
their roles in our larger community. Many NGA members are now or were
recently post-secondary students, and are living the burden of huge
student loans. We certainly are open to many forms of specific government
action that will restore community justice to the system. The issue
you point to is a good example of how justice has not been there for
many of our young citizens.
6. Currently, the government of Saskatchewan has a $150 tax credit
for graduates who remain in Saskatchewan. Does your party see a need
to expand this system? If so, how?
In 2002 the NGA Convention passed the following policy resolution.
We see this as an interim situation until there is a complete removal
of tuition fees for all post-secondary education students:
"_ BE IT RESOLVED
that any person who has lived in Saskatchewan and has graduated
from a post-secondary institution will be entitled to
a maximum, non-transferable $2000 tax reduction for each year of
work following their graduation if they continue to work and reside
in Saskatchewan
up to the same number of years that it takes to normally complete
their course of study. "
7. The
Saskatchewan Federation of Labour has requested that the minimum
wage in Saskatchewan be raised to $7.40 an hour, which is their
calculated poverty line. Will your party commit to raising the
minimum wage to
$7.40?
The NGA has policy that would raise the minimum wage to $8.00 per
hour, and will index the minimum wage to the cost of living. Our policy
reflects our basic principles of justice for all, including fair wages
for work contribution to the total society.
8. Much
election discussion has revolved around increasing numbers of
students in the health sciences, technology and business. How will
your party ensure employment opportunities for students not studying
in these fields?
I am not sure that I understand the question as you have worded it.
If you are asking how an NGA government would ensure employment opportunities
for all students outside of the health sciences, technology and business,
such as agriculture, environmental sciences, trades, technologies,
etc. , that is a huge question. The short answer is that government
cannot and probably should not even attempt to ensure comprehensive
employment opportunities for all except that it has a key responsibility
in regulating , encouraging and supporting on behalf of the total society,
and that if we build a healthy society in a healthy land with healthy
economies, there will be quality and enduring employment opportunities
for our citizens from many different fields of knowledge, skill and
ability.
9. The
Saskatchewan Student Coalition has suggested that post-secondary
education should remain public in order to ensure quality and accessibility.
Do you agree that post-secondary education should remain public?
Please expand.
Again, we do
not have specific policy statements that address private post secondary
education businesses. However, our commitment to supporting
the affordable access of all Saskatchewan young people to quality,
publicly-funded education opportunities is strong. We believe that
if our common, community responsibility is effectively met, the
issue of private businesses providing post-secondary education
will not be a
serious issue. No doubt there will always be some forms of post
secondary education or training that will be handled by private
suppliers and
that will have private clients, but this must not become the norm.
Our commitment is to our young citizens and their welfare, not
to the success of any private business, regardless of its nature.
10. What
other measures, besides tax cuts, do you feel are important to
keep Saskatchewan students in the province?
The New Green Alliance believes
that Saskatchewan has incredible opportunites to be the best place
to live in Canada. We have a relatively clean
environment, we have an abundance of resources, and we have people
with a tradition of friendly and cooperative community undertakings.
This heritage can produce that "Quality Saskatchewan" experience
over the long term that will not only entice young people to remain
and be part of this land into the future, but will also attract many
others who want to share in a healthy economy based on a healthy environment
that seeks to support a just and caring society for all of our citizens.
Consider further research on our policies and platform by going to
our election website at www.votenga.ca and to our regular site at www.nga.sk.ca
.
Remember, please submit this completed questionnaire no later than
Monday, October 27, 2003.
Phoebe DeCiman, President
University of Regina Students' Union
New Green
Alliance answers to post secondary student concerns