Free tuition and guaranteeing the treaty right to education

The following resolution has been endorsed by over 30 Riding Associations and organizations, including Courage. We’re mobilizing to support it at the 2018 Federal NDP Convention.

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Whereas post-secondary education is required for 70% of new jobs,

Whereas the average student debt upon graduation exceeds $30,000 and public student loan debt has exceeded $28 billion,

Whereas tens of thousands of indigenous people have been denied funding for their education due to deliberate underfunding since 1996,

Be it therefore resolved that Section 3.2 of the NDP Policy book be amended to insert the following (new text in bold):

a) The establishment of a Post-Secondary Education Act to guarantee stable funding, and protect principles of accessibility, quality, academic freedom, public administration and not-for-profit delivery.

b) Increasing post-secondary education transfers to provinces and territories.

c) Measures to halt further privatization of education.

d) Eliminating tuition fees by working in collaboration with provincial governments.

e) Redirecting existing federal education tax credits into up-front needs-based grants.

f) Supporting literacy programs and adult education and training.

g) Eliminating student debt through 0% interest rates for student loans, and the creation of debt relief and forgiveness programs.

h) Guaranteeing the treaty right to education for indigenous, inuit, and metis people by removing the funding cap on programs such as the Post-Secondary Student Support Program, closing the indigenous education funding gap, and facilitating indigenization & decolonization in post-secondary institutions.