Opposition calls on Ford to 'reverse course' on cuts to OSAP
CBC
The leader of Ontario's Official Opposition called on the premier to reverse the cuts to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) at a news conference on Monday.
NDP Leader Marit Stiles, joined by students and other MPPs, spoke out against Premier Doug Ford's new changes to OSAP at Queen's Park.
“He's got to reverse course. There's no question in my mind,” she told reporters. She said her party is trying to convince Ford to change his mind.
The changes to OSAP were announced earlier this month by Ontario’s Colleges and Universities Minister Nolan Quinn. Beginning in the fall, OSAP grants for eligible students will decrease from a maximum of 85 per cent to 25 per cent.
Under the changes, Ontario colleges and universities will also be allowed to raise tuition by two per cent annually for the next three years.
Stiles said the cuts to student aid will make it harder for students and families to make ends meet in a time with high youth unemployment and called the premier “out of touch.”
She said marginalized students and students with special needs already face barriers when seeking education.
“This increases those barriers significantly,” she said.
Despite pushback from students, Ford has continued to defend the cuts. He recently said the current model of OSAP, which offers up to 85 per cent funding in grants, is unsustainable.
Ford also said students should study subjects like STEM, health care and technology, rather than “basket-weaving” courses, so they can use their education to get “in-demand” jobs and contribute to the economy.
“I appreciate the students and they're going to be our future,” the premier told reporters on Monday. “So I want them to be focused on key economic drivers.”
At the news conference, Stiles questioned how students would be able to afford degrees in those fields.
“We have the highest rates of youth unemployment in Canada,” she said.
Nicholas Silver, vice president of academics of the University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union and biochemistry PhD candidate, also spoke at the news conference.
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