WHEREAS people with post-secondary education are six times more likely to have employment, and completing post-secondary education dramatically increases the lifetime prospects of having well-paid, stable employment;
AND WHEREAS the Department of Education’s Student Financial Assistance Program is designed to support full-time students pursuing a post-secondary education;
AND WHEREAS the living allowance for these students has not increased for 11 years, since the year 2000;
AND WHEREAS the Consumer Price Index in Canada has increased 27 percent since 2000, which indicates that the value of Northwest Territories students’ assistance has eroded a great deal in that time;
AND WHEREAS many students are taking part-time jobs to meet their essential needs, such as rent and food, while attending post-secondary institutions;
AND WHEREAS financial hardship can lead to Northwest Territories students failing to complete their post-secondary studies;
NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, that this Legislative Assembly strongly recommends that the Department of Education, Culture and Employment increase the living allowances set out in Schedule B of the Regulations to the Student Financial Assistance Act by 27 percent;
AND FURTHER, that the structure of the program be altered to ensure that Student Financial Assistance grants be indexed and subject to annual changes that are linked to the Consumer Price Index;
AND FURTHERMORE, that the Government of the Northwest Territories provide a comprehensive response to this motion within 90 days.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The motion is on the floor. The motion is in order. To the motion. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We all know that a good education is a way to a good job. By ensuring that student financial assistance meets our students’ needs, we are investing in our future and the future of the Northwest Territories is in their hands. We badly need these students to come back to our communities and work in our communities. All kinds of companies and organizations need well-educated employees; our local businesses, governments, our schools and our Aboriginal development corporations, our health centres and, yes, this Government of the Northwest Territories.
The Consumer Price Index in Canada is up 27 percent since we last adjusted the Student Financial Assistance Program 11 years ago. So, Mr. Speaker, those dollars students get for food and rent just don’t go as far as they used to. I’m all for students working part-time if they can, but I also know some students are always short of money. In some cases, some real hardships if the parents cannot afford to send them any more money or food.
If we raise the student financial assistance to catch up with the prices since the year 2000 -- a student is currently receiving $700 a month -- that would give them an extra $189. That could easily be the difference between success and failure, Mr. Speaker, when you’re trying to get by on a small budget far away from home, and we need these students to succeed, especially in our small communities. Too few of our students go on to higher education. We need every one of them to succeed. They will show the way for others and education levels will improve all around.
Maybe the Finance Minister will say we just don’t have that money to do this. I will expect he will point out that we are already spending $9.2 million a year on student financial assistance. The proposal I am making is to add $2.7 million to that. Let’s not be too hasty to say no, we can’t do it. These few dollars that we put into the student financial assistance will come back to this government many times over during the lives of these successful students. We also know, on average, better educated people require less health care and social assistance, so every successful post-secondary student also saves our government money in the long run. It should not be necessary to debate the level of the student financial assistance every year in this House.
We set up a program and now I’m asking the government to make sure students don’t fall behind when the prices go up. By tying SFA grants to the Consumer Price Index, this is only fair and reasonable. This government is tying more fees to inflation all the time and we should do the same with these students. The government is pretty fast to boost revenue from higher fees, but not so quick to pay a little more to people who need help. Let’s not be too chintzy about our students. Let’s help them complete their post-secondary studies with flying colours. Let’s do it and be very proud of them.
When our students return home with diplomas or degrees in hand, they have a bright future ahead of them. I thank you, colleagues, for allowing me to speak on this motion and to support this motion. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I’ve seconded the motion for the Member for Sahtu on this because I, too, am a believer that we have to put money in for the students, as much money as possible. I think the benefits down the road are tremendous. If we have an educated society, then we have improved health and that’s statistically proven that higher education is better health, better housing, better income. The whole thing of even the social problems and everything are eliminated. A lot of social problems are eliminated when you get into a society where you’re talking about people that are well educated.
I think we should do everything that we can during the time that the students are going back to school. We have people who need income. Right now in the Northwest Territories we have a lot of students that are going right from high school into universities and colleges. I recognize that. This is positive for them too, because it’s not a lot of money and any increase to that would benefit them a tremendous amount.
We also have a lot of mature students that go back to school. So students who have been in jobs that are the best jobs they could get under that circumstance, Grade 12 and so on, and now they want to go to college or university. They have kids, they have child care, they have the cost of food, the cost of rent, the cost of actually operating something back home and then having to go to school and paying for that cost, as well.
I second the motion and am obviously supporting that, to support the students that are going to be going to post-secondary education.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called.
---Carried
The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to waive Rule 44 to deal with Motion 7-16(6) which I gave notice of yesterday.
---Unanimous consent granted
