Is free tuition in Canada possible?

Tuition in North America is expensive and rising, and because of this, it is all consuming. According to Erika Shaker the student loans her and her partner accumulated, “that debt,…until it was fully repaid, affected every major decision we made as a couple, and then later as a family” (Shaker, 2012, pg. 1). Shaker is not the only Canadian who’s life revolves around their tuition debts. Statistically, in 2016/2017, 497 000 Canadian students received student loans, which corresponds to $2.6 billion (Social Development Canada, 2019). These numbers just touch the surface and do not include Grants or other non government issued loans. Canadians are suffering in the current system and as tuition is hiked so is the demand for free or lower tuition rates. The Canadian government does have programs and are implementing policies to help combat the rising cost of tuition. Programs such as RESP (Registered  Education Savings Plan) or CSGP (Canadian Student Grants Program) are designed to ease the financial burden Universities are causing. Glenn Burley states, nonetheless, it isn’t enough, “less than half of all eligible children receive any funding,” (Barley, 2016, pg. 3). Therefore, the funding Canadians do receive is disproportionally allocated to students with the finically stability to pay upfront. The tax credits and programs implemented to support graduate students who can’t afford their schooling, instead, support the privileged (Barley, 2016. pg. 3). Canada’s economic growth relies on the current tuition model so how would the Canadian government come up with the money to support these massive changes? The answer like most economic polices is taxes. However, in Quebec alone it would cost $1.1 billion to support a tuition free province, while not necessarily improving graduation rates or the obtainability of attending a University (Moreau, 2018, pg.1). Shaker disagrees, and implores a big picture view point; paying higher taxes for education allows Canadians to make higher pay checks which circles back into the economy (Shaker, 2012, pg.2). In my opinion completely abolishing an already flawed system, would in turn cost more for Canadians as a whole. To successfully implement free tuition would mean to change Canadian culture and their priorities. I do not believe that is possible to achieve this in the next couple of years, however, over time by slowly changing not just how we look at education but other policies as well could allow
Canada to have free tuition.

Burley, G. (2016, February). Eliminating Tuition and Compulsory Fees for Post-secondary Education. Retrieved from https://www-deslibris-ca.libsecure.camosun.bc.ca:2443/ID/10049117

Moreau, A. (2018, August). HIGHER EDUCATION: THE TRUE COST OF “FREE” TUITION. Retrieved from https://www.iedm.org/sites/default/files/web/pub_files/lepoint1118_en.pdf

Shaker, E. (2012). If higher education is to be defunded, who will pay for it? CCPA Monitor, 19(2), 22–23. Retrieved from https://eds-b-ebscohost-com.libsecure.camosun.bc.ca:2443/eds/detail/detail?vid=5&sid=c2d2f3d9-b457-4666-bb7c-9e4bcc304d33%40sdc-v-sessmgr01&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#db=rch&AN=97571123

Social Development Canada. (2019, July 2). Government of Canada. Retrieved from https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/canada-student-loans-grants/reports/cslp-statistical-2016-2017.html#h2.4-3.1