FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Ontario Liberal government sold the dream of affordable post-secondary education to would-be students across the province. Now, two years after misleading Ontarians, they’re back to throw salt in the wound.
Progressive Conservative MPP Rob Leone was outraged to read a letter written by Minister of Training Colleges and Universities, Brad Duguid, titled “Everyone should have the chance to go back to school”, which was sent via email Thursday.
Leone says that the timing of the Minister’s letter is insulting.
“The fact is this: in Kathleen Wynne’s Ontario, everyone does not have the chance to go back to school,’ said Leone. “The Wynne government has made it far more difficult for someone who wants to return to university or college to afford tuition.”
Not surprisingly, the 2011 election promise was not implemented as advertised. It was revealed after the fact that the policy is full of loopholes excluding mature students, co-op students and graduate students. It also does not apply to students in bridge programs, part-time students or students who are ineligible for OSAP assistance.
Leone says that cancelling several bursaries and scholarships to fund the grant was also misleading.
“Premier Wynne, Brad Duguid and the Liberal government continue to take a curtain call on the backs of people who can’t afford post-secondary education in Ontario,” Leone said. “They ripped away scholarships and bursaries from students who needed them and used that money to fund their 30% off lie.”
A Harris-Decima poll taken earlier this year found that 7 in 10 Ontarians felt deceived by the Liberals election promise and that it was merely a ploy to win votes. The heavily criticized grant was also panned by student groups such as the Canadian Federation of Students who feel that the government broke its promise to students.
“Either Kathleen Wynne and her government have changed the eligibility rules to include more students and have yet to inform us,” Leone concluded, “or they continue to deceive those most in need of financial assistance. My money is on the latter.”
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