Media advisory - Putting student issues on the political agenda: Ottawa banner drop

OTTAWA, Oct. 6, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - Students from universities across Ottawa will be unveiling a banner to highlight student issues in the federal election.  Following the banner drop, students will distribute materials and engage in one-on-one discussions with fellow students to encourage them to vote at the advanced polling stations located on their respective campuses.

This initiative is part of a larger Day of Action that aims to increase student voter turnout and to put student issues on the agenda for the federal election. The Day of Action is coordinated by students from post-secondary institutions province-wide through the Canadian Federation of Students–Ontario.

PUTTING STUDENT ISSUES ON THE POLITICAL AGENDA: OTTAWA BANNER DROP AND CANVAS

DATE:	Wednesday, October 7, 2015
TIME:	7:00AM
PLACE:	Mackenzie King Bridge
WHO:	Students from the University of Ottawa, Carleton University, and Saint Paul University

THE FACTS:

• Tuition fees have tripled since the 1990s. Thirty years ago, government funding covered 80% of institutions' operating budgets – now it barely covers 50%.
• The average debt for a student who must take on financial assistance to go to school is $27,000 after a four-year degree. Collectively, students in Canada owe more than $15 billion to the federal government.
• The Post-Secondary Student Support Program (PSSSP) is a federal program that was introduced in the 1990s and was meant to cover the costs of tuition fees, books, supplies, travel and living expenses for First Nations and Inuit people.  Despite the clear economic and moral obligation to ensure access to education for Aboriginal people, the funding provided through the PSSSP has been stagnant due to a two per cent annual cap placed by the federal government.  Additionally, the PSSSP is not accessible to Métis people.

SOURCE Canadian Federation of Students

Michael Bueckert, President of the Carleton University Graduate Students' Association, 613-315-7947 (cell) or 613-520-2600 x8271 (office) or [email protected]