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Results: 1 - 15 of 83
View Ron Cannan Profile
CPC (BC)
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
To our witnesses, good morning and thank you for being here.
I represent the riding of Kelowna—Lake Country in the Okanagan, where we have UBC Okanagan and Okanagan College, so I appreciate the support that our students provide for our community and our country.
I have just a couple of quick questions for Mr. Champagne.
As far as the economic action plan goes, it's looking forward as a budget and working with our students. It talks about making student loans work for families. I'm wondering if you could comment on the three initiatives that are being proposed as we move forward over the next few years.
They include providing $119 million over four years, starting in 2016-17, to reduce the expected parental contribution under the Canada student loans program needs assessment process. There are also proposals to provide $116 million over four years to eliminate in-study student income from the Canada student loans program needs assessment process. Also, with regard to expanding the eligibility for Canada student grants, the budget is proposing to provide $184 million over four years to expand eligibility for Canada student grants to students in short-duration programs.
Could you comment on those three initiatives as we move forward to help our students across Canada?
Jonathan Champagne
View Jonathan Champagne Profile
Jonathan Champagne
2015-06-02 10:18
I would say those three announcements in Budget 2015, from what we can tell, are the largest investments in student financial aid since 2008. I think they are a strong positive step and a great indication from this government in investing in young people and their education.
View Ray Boughen Profile
CPC (SK)
View Ray Boughen Profile
2015-05-28 16:48
Let me add my voice of welcome to our panel who are taking time out of their busy day to share some information with us. We certainly appreciate it.
When I look back on what's happened in economic action plan 2015, which is also in action today as we speak, the thing that I find very interesting is the change in students being able to work while they're on a student loan program to help augment that loan and help with the financial side of going to school.
I have a ball of wax here with a bunch of different questions hanging out of the ball, so let's just see what we can do with it.
On average, how much more money will students be able to keep from their work?
Ian Shugart
View Ian Shugart Profile
Ian Shugart
2015-05-28 16:49
The point here is to foster attachment to the labour force.
The assumption is of course that a student may earn small amounts of income, but if we can encourage that attachment to the labour force while they're in study, then that is good for their long-term prospects in the labour market.
I got that right about the elimination, didn't I?
View Ray Boughen Profile
CPC (SK)
View Ray Boughen Profile
2015-05-28 16:50
How much more money will students be able to keep: 50%, 75%, 100%?
You're saying it's going to be 100%.
View Ray Boughen Profile
CPC (SK)
View Ray Boughen Profile
2015-05-28 16:50
Okay. Very good.
This is a what will happen question. We don't have any hard facts. What is it that you feel will help students move in to co-op learning programs and internships with the new student loan program? Is that going to be something that happens or not?
Ian Shugart
View Ian Shugart Profile
Ian Shugart
2015-05-28 16:51
I think the first requirement for that kind of uptake is employers who are prepared to make that kind of opportunity available. Our ministers have been advocating that in the employer community. I'm going to ask my colleague Gail Johnson, who has joined us in the last year as the ADM of our learning branch, to comment further.
I think what the government has done is remove as a financial issue at all this requirement. For some, that would have constituted a barrier and it leaves the way free to accept employment on a large scale, for example, to get a running start on paying down student loans or to have less reliance on student loans because it's out of income.
There is probably a point at which we want students to be learning and not wearing themselves to the bone and compromising their studies by having to work too hard. That's of course an individual choice. I think we can anticipate this, although I don't think we've modelled this in any detail. It's hard to know with any certainty, but the logic of the policy would remove those financial considerations as a barrier, and in many cases would facilitate their income and therefore their savings potential down the road.
Is there anything you would want to add to that?
Gail Johnson
View Gail Johnson Profile
Gail Johnson
2015-05-28 16:53
The deputy minister is absolutely correct.
What this does is it removes any disincentives to work while the student is in study. What that means is that students have the opportunity to participate in co-op programs, for example, thus making them better prepared for the labour market.
View Colin Mayes Profile
CPC (BC)
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I have a quick question. I noticed with regard to the loan default for student loans, it says that the department will review policies and legislation to reduce student loan defaults and increase recoveries for loans. Is that an ongoing thing, because that was one of the things that was actually printed regarding loan defaults on student loans in the National Post. My son read it and he kind of ragged on me a little bit because he paid his way through, while you're letting people get student loans and then they're not repaying them.
I'm wondering. I know it's only 13%, but still, is there anything you have in the works to try to get better accountability from those students who get loans?
Ian Shugart
View Ian Shugart Profile
Ian Shugart
2015-05-28 17:20
Chair, this is an entirely legitimate preoccupation of members of Parliament and of the department. When these loans are entered into, they are obligations upon the student who has taken the loan and we treat them as such.
That said, members will understand there is a wide variety of circumstances. There is the provision and acknowledgement of that through the repayment assistance program, where the status of the loan is rehabilitated and there are provisions made to facilitate that. There are also, as the chief financial officer could regale us with, write-offs in any given fiscal year. We take no pleasure from those write-offs. We're answerable for them, and we have measures under way with Canada Revenue Agency to work together to try to reduce those outstanding loans. We will continue with those efforts in the days and years ahead.
Chair, I wonder if I could, in the absence of Mr. Cuzner, make a small correction. There were a lot of numbers that we've heard and have given today. Reference was made to the number of hires in the call centres. My colleague has just confirmed that that was 101, not 138 as we had indicated. I would like the record to show that.
View Jim Hillyer Profile
CPC (AB)
View Jim Hillyer Profile
2015-05-25 16:22
Okay, thank you.
But Anik, your school is more for college level. Can people get government student loans for your school?
Ms. Emily Molnar: Yes.
Mr. Jim Hillyer: Okay, good.
Emily, you said you left home at age 10 to go to school. Are there lots of schools around the country that a 10-year-old can go to?
View John Barlow Profile
CPC (AB)
View John Barlow Profile
2015-04-28 12:06
I appreciate what you're saying. Including the parents in those makers areas, I think, is a great step. I have two daughters, and I try to get them to help me when I'm doing stuff in the basement or whatever. Whether it goes anywhere or not, I think if we as parents introduced them to that, it would help.
Lastly, Nancy and Jennifer, do you see the introduction of the Canada apprenticeship loan program, $100 million to ensure people who enter apprenticeships can carry on, as a benefit, and have you had an opportunity to ensure and promote that program to your students?
Nancy Darling
View Nancy Darling Profile
Nancy Darling
2015-04-28 12:07
We promote that program to our students, but that kicks in a little way down the road after they leave us, after they become apprentices, so I don't have very much feedback on that for you.
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