/R E P E A T -- Media advisory - Students available to comment on 2012 Federal Budget/

OTTAWA, March 28, 2012 /CNW/ - Students will be available to comment on the 2012 Federal Budget immediately following its release on Thursday, March 29. Given recent changes to the student loan ceiling, students will be looking for relief from crushing student debt.

JUST THE FACTS:

• Tuition fees in Canada range from $6,640 (Ontario) and $2,649 (Newfoundland and Labrador) and have increased at four times the rate of inflation since the mid 1990's.
• National student debt has surpassed $15 billion legislated ceiling this year. The Conservatives have recently raised it to $19 billion.
• More than 20,000 First Nations students are currently on a waiting list to receive funding to pursue post-secondary education. Funding has been capped at 2 per cent since 1996.
• Despite a high youth unemployment rate of 14 per cent, the federal government has made cuts to youth employment programs such as the Service Canada Centres for Youth which assist youth with finding jobs and provides seasonal employment opportunities.

WHAT:	Canadian Federation of Students responds to 2012 Federal Budget
DATE:	Thursday, March 29, 2012
TIME:	4:00 p.m.
PLACE:	Parliament Hill, Centre Block
WHO:	Nora Loreto, Communications Coordinator: 416-846-6672

The Canadian Federation of Students is Canada's largest student organisation, uniting more than one-half million students in all ten provinces. The Federation and its predecessor organisations have represented students in Canada since 1927.

 

National Requests:
Roxanne Dubois, National Chairperson, 613-816-7486 (cell), [email protected]
Nora Loreto, Communications Coordinator: 416-846-6672, [email protected]

Regional Requests: 

British Columbia
Zach Crispin
[phone]

Prairies
Kent Peterson
[phone]

Manitoba
Marakary Bayo
[phone]

Ontario 
Sandy Hudson
[phone]

Quebec
Roxanne Dubois
[phone]

Maritimes
Rebecca Rose
[phone]

Newfoundland and Labrador
Jessica McCormick
[phone]