Ottawa Students Rally at Human Rights Monument - Tell McGuinty Government
Education is a Right

OTTAWA , Nov. 5 /CNW Telbec/ - On Thursday, November 5th , Students from the University of Ottawa , Carleton University, la Cité Collégiale and from various high schools will unite with students across Ontario in the Provincial Day of Action to Drop Tuition Fees. The rally will start at the University of Ottawa at 11:15am and culminate at the Human Rights Monument on the corner of Elgin Street and Laurier Avenue at noon, after a march through downtown Ottawa .

"Students across the province are taking to the streets to remind the provincial government that education is a right," says Erik Halliwell , President of the Carleton University Students' Association, "Students can't afford to attend college or university anymore in Ontario because Dalton McGuinty has turned his back on students and their families."

Statistics Canada data released on October 20 found that students in Ontario pay the highest tuition fees in the country, at an average of more than $5,951 per year for an undergraduate arts program and $8,642 for graduate students. This news came after students had weathered a summer with the highest youth unemployment rates since the Statistics Canada began collecting data in 1977.

"In this economic crisis it is now more important than ever to invest in post-secondary education", said Roxanne Dubois , Vice President Finance the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa , "The McGuinty government must take action to bring tuition fees down and make education more accessible for all Ontarians. Investing in post-secondary education is investing in Ontario's economy."

The provincial government's "Reaching Higher Plan" is set to expire at the end of this academic year. The "Reaching Higher Plan" has set the rates at which tuition fees increase for the past four years. Students across the province have been advocating for a new plan that increases funding to colleges and universities and reduces tuition fees for all students.

The Drop Fees For A Poverty Free Ontario campaign is organised by the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario which unites more than 300,000 college and university students at 35 students' unions across the province.

For further information: Erik Halliwell, President, Carleton University Students' Association, Office [phone] Ext. 1603, Cellular [phone]; Roxanne Dubois, Vice President Finance, Student Federation of the University of Ottawa, Office - [phone] Ext. 4070, Cellular [phone]