OTTAWA, May 27, 2004 “? With the launch of a national campaign today, students from coast-to-coast will challenge voters and political candidates to prioritize post-secondary education in next month’s federal election. An initiative of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations, the ‘Think Education’ campaign also aims to promote youth participation in the electoral system.

“It’s time that we had a serious debate in this country on the current state and future of our post-secondary education system,” said James Kusie, National Director of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA). Ten years of cuts to transfer payments have resulted in the largest tuition increases in Canadian history and students expect commitments from all political parties on restoring funding for colleges and universities.

The focal point of ‘Think Education’ is an interactive website (www.thinkeducation.ca) designed to educate voters and provide them with the tools to get involved. The website will also serve as a resource for young people seeking information on the electoral process. Additionally, the campaign will feature newspaper and radio advertising, events in ridings across the country, and the release of two important reports on student poverty and youth engagement in the politics.

A distinctive feature of the campaign website is an interactive tool that allows parents to forecast the costs of their children’s education. Based on historical data from Statistics Canada, the cost calculator considers the province and program of study in its projections.

“When Canadians see what it will cost for their children to get a degree, they’ll demand that the federal government reinvest post-secondary education,” said Kusie. CASA is advocating for an increase of $3.9 billion in annual funding to colleges and universities through the creation of a dedicated transfer to the provinces for post-secondary, and the expansion of grants for students from low-income families.

CASA is a non-partisan, non-profit organization representing 19 student governments and nearly 300,000 college and university students from coast-to-coast.

Featured link: http://www.thinkeducation.ca