Release Quebec portion of the Canada Student Grants Program

MONTREAL , Jan. 8 /CNW Telbec/ - The Concordia Student Union (CSU) condemns the federal government for their mismanagement of the Canada Student Grants Program by withholding the Quebec portion of this financial support to students.

During the 2008 budget, this program was announced to replace the Millennium Scholarship Fund and to allocate a total of 500M$ a year to students all over Canada . Making education a priority, this program boldly claimed to reach out to students who do not have the means to pay for their tuition and other expenses. Grants could possibly go up to 250$ a month in support of students pursuing post-secondary education.

To this day, not a single Quebec student, including us at Concordia, has received a portion of the 118M$ agreed funding. Student Unions all throughout the province are working alongside with the FEUQ to find a suitable solution. "This is completely unacceptable!" said Amine Dabchy, President of the CSU when asked about the matter, "the provincial and federal governments must negotiate these terms as quickly as possible so that Concordia students as well as others get the funding that was promised to them".

The Canada Student Grants Program is already assisting 245 000 students nationwide. Quebec students have not seen a penny and are still waiting.

For further information: George Alexander, Communications coordinator, [phone], [email protected]