I am a little disappointed in the federal budget today. I did not see anything that really helps the students who need help the most. The government announced 600million in tax credits for RESP’s which I think could have been better spent by putting it into PSE today. The government is promising for 08/09 an increase of $800 million in PSE funding. Some 07/08 budget when the only real money they are offering for PSE is 08/09 which is guaranteed to be after an election so who knows who will be the government. In short, the budget was designed to get votes in Quebec and the 905-belt which I believe it will do.
PSE lobby groups and other have sent out their news releases on the budget tonight. Here they are in order of time transmitted by CNW:
17:35 ET – Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance – Federal budget raises Ontario students’ expectations for McGuinty’s pre-election offering on Thursday
18:03 ET – Canadian Federation of Students – New Post-Secondary Education Funding Needs Accountability Mechanism
18:20 ET – Canadian Association of University Teachers – Federal budget fails to address chronic imbalance in post-secondary education funding
18:21 ET – The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) – Federal budget : McGill students disappointed
19:16 ET – Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) – A Positive First Step for Post-secondary Education
19:29 ET – College Student Alliance (CSA) – Federal Budget Falls Short of Expectations: Ontario College Students
**UPDATE: **The Dalhousie Students’ Union has great coverage on their blog Inside 6136 University Avenue: Federal Budget Highlights.