Students canvassing by-election area tonight
Students will be visiting homes in the Ancaster, Dundas and Aldershot areas to raise awareness of the lack of funding for post-secondary students in Ontario. Residents will be asked to have canvassing candidates sign a pledge stating they will fight to bring funding up to the national average.
Representatives from Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Guelph, Brock and Waterloo
will be joining McMaster Students Union leaders at 5:30 p.m. tonight to lend their support to the campaign.
“Provincial government per student funding of Ontario's universities is currently the second lowest in the country,” says Bryce Rudyk, vice-president education for the McMaster Students Union. “We are
asking area residents to support us in ensuring that the provincial
government increase per capita funding to at least the national
average in order that all institutions in Canada have an equal playing
field.”
“For far too long, post-secondary education has been ignored by
candidates in provincial elections,” says Marc Marzotto, McMaster
Students Union President. “We are hoping this initiative by the MSU will increase awareness of university issues.”
Ontario's per student funding is currently $6,124 per student. This is
below the national average of $6,672 per student. The only province with lower per capita funding is Nova Scotia at $5,169.