Canadian Alliance of Student Associations Meets with Liberal Party Caucus

OTTAWA , Jan. 26 /CNW Telbec/ - Yesterday, the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations participated in an economic roundtable with the Liberal Party Caucus entitled, "Beating the Jobless Recovery."

"Students welcome the interest that the Liberal Party of Canada has taken in youth unemployment," said Arati Sharma, National Director of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations. "Our organization was happy to present and discuss solutions for this problem, given how essential employment is for young people in order to offset the rising costs of post-secondary education."

The unemployment rates for students this summer were the highest Canada has seen since 1977, causing many students to struggle to finance their schooling. Studies have shown that students rely on employment for nearly 40% of their college or university funding.

During the session, CASA offered solutions designed to increase the availability of financial resources for students to help them finance their education. These included changes to the student loan system as well as additional investments in the Summer Jobs Program.

"In previous recessions, it took years for the youth employment rate to return to something resembling pre-recession levels," said Sharma. "The government needs to recognize the immediate need to support students and act now to fix the youth unemployment crisis."

The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) is a non-partisan, not-for-profit national student organization composed of 25 student associations, representing over 300,000 students from coast to coast.

For further information: or to arrange an interview, please contact: Jillian Flake, Public Relations and Communications Officer, Canadian Alliance of Student Associations, Tel.: [phone] ext. 224, (c) [phone], Email: [email protected]