Media Releases

 

 "Tuition fees are skyrocketing in every province, students are buried in debt upon graduation, and universities and colleges are receiving less and less government funding," said Marakary Bayo, Manitoba Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students. "Now is the time to take action and demand that government recognise the growing cost of post-secondary education, the student debt crisis in Canada, and the underfunding of our universities and colleges."

 

Students from the University of Winnipeg, University of Manitoba and Université de Saint-Boniface, coalition partners of the student movement, and community members were at the rally in support of lowering the cost of attaining a post-secondary education and increasing accessibility to more and more Canadians.

 

 "We are here today to demand that our elected representatives work towards building a more accessible and affordable system of post-secondary education," Bayo told the crowd at the Legislative Building.

 

 "We need grants not loans, we need tuition fee reductions not a cap on increases, and our universities and colleges need substantial funding to be able to offer high-quality education.

 

 "Students can no longer shoulder the costs of a system of public post-secondary education. Education is a public responsibility, a public good and a basic right for all. Our government needs to take on the majority of costs associated with offering high-quality, public post-secondary education," concluded Bayo.

 

 Students began the march from the University of Winnipeg, singing songs and waving "Drop Student Debt" and "Reduce Tuition Fees" placards as they marched down Portage and Memorial until they reached the Legislative grounds.

 

 The Canadian Federation of Students is Canada’s largest student organization, uniting more than one-half million students across the country and over 45,000 students in Manitoba from Brandon University, Université de Saint-Boniface, the University of Manitoba, and the University of Winnipeg.

 

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 For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:

 Marakary Bayo, Chairperson, Canadian Federation of Students-Manitoba

office: (204) 783-0787 mobile: (204) 330-0017

Veuillez nous contacter pour fixer un entrevue en français.

A move toward equality: Manitoba extends health coverage for international students

 

Winnipeg—The Canadian Federation of Students-Manitoba congratulates the Manitoba government for its plans to eliminate mandatory private health insurance for basic health coverage for international students. It has been reported that the provincial government plans to include international students under public health insurance (Medicare), beginning April 1, 2012.

 

“This reform has long been called for by the Canadian Federation of Students, and it is another step towards a fairer post-secondary education system,” said Marakary Bayo, Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students-Manitoba.

International students and their spouses will now be covered by the provincial health insurance plan, provided the student has a study permit.

 

“People tend to forget that international students contributed $90 million dollars to the local economy in 2010. They pay up to three times as much in tuition fees as domestic students and do not have basic health care coverage,” said Bayo.

International students pay tens of thousands of dollars in tuition fee premiums, are not eligible for student aid and often face discrimination, racism or xenophobia. On average, international students in Manitoba had to pay $420 in private health insurance, just to see a doctor.

 

In 2010, the Presidents of the University of Manitoba, University of Winnipeg, Université de Saint-Boniface and Brandon University submitted letters to the provincial government, in support of students’ campaigns.

 

“We are grateful for the support we received on this campaign from all the University Presidents and administration,” said Bayo. “This is a good example of university administration and students working together to achieve a tangible goal.”

 

The Canadian Federation of Students-Manitoba is committed to securing equality for international students, lower tuition fees and better accessibility to post-secondary education for all.

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For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Marakary Bayo at the Canadian Federation of Students-Manitoba at (204) 783-0787, cell (204) 330-0017.

 

NDP Commitment to Cap Tuition Fee Increases Needs Work

                        Promise to make student loans less onerous a step in the right direction

 

Winnipeg—The Canadian Federation of Students-Manitoba believes the Manitoba New Democratic Party’s election platform on education may make tuition fee increases and student loans less onerous, but will do little to solve the pressing problems of rising tuition fees and student debt. Students are urging the NDP to take some easy steps to really improve access to post-secondary education.

 

“Accessibility to post-secondary education is the result of an increase in funding for universities and colleges and grants for students, as well as a decrease in tuition fees, rather than reliance on tuition fees and loans schemes such as Manitoba Student Aid,” said Marakary Bayo, Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students-Manitoba. “As long as tuition fees exist, they should at least be frozen. As long as student loans exist, they should at least be interest-free.”

 

The Manitoba NDP announced its education platform Wednesday. The NDP promised, if elected, to limit tuition fee increases to the rate of inflation, reduce student loan interest rates, change the Manitoba Student Aid programme so that students can own a car and work during the school year without penalty, and pass a law requiring government to make three-year funding agreements with post-secondary institutions.

 

“The commitment from the NDP to map out plans for funding, control tuition fees, further reduce student loan interest rates, and make student loans criteria less punitive is part of what students have been asking the Province to do,” commented Bayo. “But it needs to be done right.”

 

On average, a Manitoba student will accumulate $19,000 of debt to complete their post-secondary education. International students are not eligible for Manitoba Student Aid, even though they face higher tuition fees than Canadians.

 

“Doing things right means creating a real tuition fee freeze, one that includes international students and comes with adequate funding,” concluded Bayo. 

Winnipeg—According to an election report card released today by the Canadian Federation of Students-Manitoba, creating a more affordable and accessible post-secondary education system is not a priority for Manitoba’s Liberal, New Democratic, and Progressive Conservative parties.

 

“The grades on the report card are as dismal as ‘F’ and peak at a ‘B-’,” said Marakary Bayo, Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students-Manitoba. “We are disappointed that none of the major parties has a clear plan to create affordable and accessible education by freezing tuition, providing up-front grants to students, and increasing funding to universities and colleges.”

 

The Federation’s Provincial Election Report Card ranks the Grits, NDP, and Tories against the 2011-2012 campaign goals of the Canadian Federation of Students-Manitoba. The goals cover issues such as reducing tuition fees and increasing government funding, improving accessibility for Aboriginal students, equality for international students, graduate student tuition fees and funding, legal protections for students living in residence, and reducing student debt.

 

“Some of the parties are taking steps in the right direction but need to make a stronger commitment to good public post-secondary education policy,” said Bayo. “For example, a real tuition freeze is not the same as limiting tuition fee increases to the rate of inflation, which is what some parties are calling a ‘freeze.’”

 

The Report Card will be distributed to students on campuses across the province in the remaining weeks before the election.

 

“We want to encourage informed voting in Manitoba by ensuring that students and all voters are familiar with each party’s commitment to accessible, high quality post-secondary education, and that they take this information to the polls,” concluded Bayo.

 Winnipeg—According to the Canadian Federation of Students-Manitoba, the Manitoba Liberal

education platform misses the point. While the Liberal Party seems to acknowledge barriers to

university and college such as tuition fees, student debt and socio-economic background, it takes

targeted funding to new lows.

“It is encouraging that the Manitoba Liberals have recognized the barriers many individuals face

in post-secondary education,” said Marakary Bayo, Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of

Students-Manitoba. “But the focus on making students jump through hoops to receive funding will

do little to improve access and equity.”

Building on the University of Winnipeg’s Opportunity Fund, the Grits’ plan rewards students who

excel in grade school by providing monetary credits to be used towards post-secondary

education. At most, students can earn enough credits to cover the cost of their first year and half

or two years of post-secondary education. The plan also promises to allow students who maintain

a high GPA to claim the current tuition rebate while still in school. However, statistics show that

children of parents with no post-secondary background and from low-income backgrounds are

much less likely to complete college or university, and the implementation of programs that

measure performance requires significant resources.

“Tax credit programs help those who can initially afford the rising cost of annual tuition. Students

in need will continue to be left out or forced to take on debt to finish their studies,” commented

Bayo.

On average, students in Manitoba will accumulate $19,000 of debt to complete their postsecondary

education.

“To really help students, the Grits should be pledging, at a minimum, to freeze tuition fees,

increase funding for universities and colleges, and providing students with non-repayable grants

throughout the duration of their program,” concluded Bayo.

Winnipeg—Students are rallying at the Manitoba Legislature at noon today, calling on governments to invest in the province’s fastest-growing demographic: Aboriginal young people.

 

“What better occasion than National Aboriginal Day to focus on Aboriginal peoples’ rights,” said Marakary Bayo Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students–Manitoba. “Today, Canada must answer for the fact that access to basic programmes and resources is so difficult for many Aboriginal people.”

 

The day of action, a project of the Canadian Federation of Students and its National Aboriginal Caucus, calls for action on several key issues for Aboriginal peoples:

-        stable, long-term funding for Aboriginal education, including the First Nations University of Canada;

-        a significant increase in funding for the Post-Secondary Student Support Program (PSSSP) for First Nations university and college students;

-        an end to the crisis of missing and murdered Aboriginal women;

-        universal access to clean, collectively-managed water, now and for future generations;

-        recognition of and respect for Treaty & historical rights and the right to self-determination.

 

“Students are calling on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to more fully support Aboriginal peoples’ rights,” said Marakary Bayo, Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students-Manitoba. “Canada is a wealthy country that has benefited greatly from its relationship with Aboriginal peoples. Respect for their full rights is long overdue.”

 

Added Vanessa Kozak, Aboriginal Students’ Commissioner for the Canadian Federation of Students–Manitoba: “Canada’s treatment of Aboriginal peoples has been a national shame, and young people are demanding better. Let’s start with measures like filling the massive need for funding to ensure Aboriginal students can complete post-secondary education.”

 

Following the rally, students will go by bus to the exhibition grounds for National Aboriginal Day celebrations sponsored by Manito Ahbee and the Red River Ex.

 

Concluded Kozak: “Students are proud to be part of National Aboriginal Day celebrations, and we will continue to call on the federal government in particular to pay more attention to concrete measures supporting the rights of Aboriginal peoples.”

 

In Brandon, students will be recognising Aboriginal peoples’ rights at the National Aboriginal Day celebration held at Fleming School and organized by the Brandon Friendship Centre.

 

The Canadian Federation of Students is Canada’s largest student organization, uniting more than one-half million students across the country and over 40,000 students in Manitoba.

 

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For further information or to arrange an interview, please contact the Canadian Federation of Students–Manitoba at (204) 783-0787, or contact:

Marakary Bayo           

cell (204) 330-0017                        chair@cfsmb.ca

Veuillez nous contacter pour des entrevues en français.

www.cfsmb.ca

Winnipeg—The Canadian Federation of Students-Manitoba congratulates the Selinger
Government for joining with students and public water advocates to reject bottled water and
embrace a healthier, more ecological, and more economical alternative: tap water.  
 
“By ending the purchase of small, single-use bottles of drinking water, the Manitoba government
is taking a step in the right direction,” said Marakary Bayo, Chairperson of the Canadian
Federation of Students-Manitoba. “Water from the tap has been shown to be cheaper, safer, and
better for the environment than bottled water.”
 
Over the past decade, sales of bottled water have skyrocketed. For-profit water has been
marketed aggressively on campuses, in workplaces, in schools, and at public events, while public
water fountains have been disappearing. Since May 2008, the Canadian Federation of Students-
Manitoba, along with the Polaris Institute, has promoted the Bottled Water Free Manitoba
campaign. 
 
Added Bayo: “We are very pleased that the Bottled Water Free Manitoba campaign has had so
many successes. With this provincial government announcement, Manitoba has emerged as a
leader in ditching the bottle and returning to the tap.”
 
The Bottled Water Free Manitoba campaign encourages people to view the bottled water
industry’s claims with a critical eye. As a result, more and more institutions are kicking the bottled
water habit because:
• bottled water is associated with excessive energy consumption, needless waste, and
profiteering;
• governments spend millions of dollars a year on bottled water;
• it takes 3 litres of water to produce 1 litre of bottled water; and
• tap water is safer—it is tested 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, to rigorous standards,
while for-profit water is tested only periodically, to standards that meet bottom line
requirements.
Already in Manitoba, the University of Winnipeg, Brandon University, the Collège universitaire de
Saint-Boniface, and several municipalities have gone bottled water free. 
Concluded Bayo: “The Canadian Federation of Students-Manitoba will continue to urge
governments and institutions to replace all forms of bottled water with tap water and to ensure
that everyone has access to good, public water.”
 
The Canadian Federation of Students is Canada’s largest student organization, uniting more than
one-half million students across the country and over 40,000 students in Manitoba.  

Spokespersons for the Canadian Federation of Students-Manitoba will be available for comment immediately following the tabling of the federal budget tomorrow. 

During the federal government's pre-budget consultations, the Canadian Federation of Students-Manitoba made the following recommendations:

-  The federal government should create a federal framework that ensures high quality, universally accessible post-secondary education in cooperation with the provinces, and be guided by principles set out in a federal Post-Secondary Education Act.

-  The federal government should eliminate post-secondary education tax credits and incen­tives, and allocate this funding to further expand the Canada Student Grants Program.

-  The federal government should eliminate the 2% funding cap on the Post-Secondary Student Support Program and ensure that federal funding for this program rises with the rate of growth in the young Aboriginal population, calculated region-by-region.

The Canadian Federation of Students is Canada's largest student organization, uniting more that one-half million students in all ten provinces.

In Manitoba, the Canadian Federation of Students unites over 45,000 students from Brandon University, the Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface, the University of Manitoba, and the University of Winnipeg.

 

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The province will work with students and universities to explore ways of strengthening protections for students living in on-campus residences, Family Services and Consumer Affairs Minister Gord Mackintosh announced today. 

“Our government is committed to providing secure and affordable living environments for all Manitobans, including students living on Manitoba campuses,” said Mackintosh. “We intend to work with students and our colleges and universities to determine how to best ensure that students who live on campus are treated appropriately.”

Mackintosh and Advanced Education Minister Diane McGifford met with representatives of the Canadian Federation of Students – Manitoba today to discuss the creation of a working group. The group will include students living in residence, university and college administration, the Council on Post-Secondary Education and the Residential Tenancies Branch.

It will review current regulations in Manitoba as well as the arrangements on campuses across Canada and will work to develop provincewide protections for students in Manitoba.

“Students in Manitoba have put forward a strong campaign calling for such protections,” said Alanna Makinson, Chairperson for the Canadian Federation of Students – Manitoba. “We are excited to work closely with the Manitoba Government and other stakeholders to ensure that students living in on-campus residences have a positive experience, while also ensuring that their rights as tenants are protected.” 

Currently on-campus housing provided by post-secondary institutions is exempt from the Manitoba Residential Tenancies Act, and is governed by regulations unique to their respective institutions.

The Province of Manitoba is also distributing this release on behalf of the Government of Manitoba and the Canadian Federation of Students.