National
      News
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Cadre
      «+
      13
      October
      1998
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Martin
      gets
      failing
      grades,
     
     
      flying
      colours
      from
      students
     
    
   
   
    
     
      BY
      ALEX
      BUSTOS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      OTTAWA
      (CUP)--Canada’s
     
     
      two
      largest
      student
      groups
      have
     
     
      given
      radically
      different
      as-
     
     
      sessments
      of
      the
      federal
      gov-
     
     
      ernment’s
      commitmentto
      post-
     
     
      secondary
      education.
     
    

    
     
      The
      Canadian
      Federa-
     
     
      tion
      of
      Students
      gave
      Finance
     
     
      Minister
      Paul
      Martina
      straight-
     
     
      F
      report
      card
      for
      the
      Liberals’
     
     
      record
      on
      education.
     
    

    
     
      “Weare
      calling
      for
      [Paul
     
     
      Martin]
      to
      reinvest
      and
      restore
     
     
      funding
      for
      social
      transfer
      pay-
     
     
      ments
      to
      1993
      levels,”
      federa-
     
     
      tion
      president
      Elizabeth
      Carlyle
     
     
      told
      a
      news
      conference
      Tues-
     
     
      day.
     
    

    
     
      “Weare
      calling
      fora
      tui-
     
     
      tion
      fee
      freeze.
      We
      are
      calling
     
     
      for
      the
      transformation
      of
      the
     
     
      Millennium
      Scholarship
      foun-
     
     
      dation
      into
      a
      system
      of
      grants,”
     
     
      she
      added.
     
    

    
     
      The
      CFS,
      which
      repre-
     
     
      sents
      400,000
      students
      in
      60
     
     
      colleges
      and
      universities,
      says
     
     
      funding
      --
      designed
      to
      give
     
     
      about
      1
      00,000
      students
      $3,000
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ayear
      starting
      in
      the
      year
      2000
     
     
      --
      should
      be
      administered
      only
     
     
      according
      to
      need.
     
    

    
     
      Government
      officials
     
     
      have
      said
      the
      $2.5-billion
      fund
     
     
      will
      be
      administered
      based
      on
     
     
      academic
      merit
      as
      well
      as
      fi-
     
     
      nancial
      need.
     
    

    
     
      Carlyle
      also
      criticized
     
     
      recent
      legislation
      prohibiting
     
     
      students
      who
      declare
     
     
      bankruptcy
      from
      discharging
     
     
      their
      student
      loans
      for
      10
      years
     
     
      after
      leaving
      school.
     
    

    
     
      But
      Hoops
      Harrison,
     
    

    
     
      resident
      of
      the
      Canadian
      Al-
     
    

    
     
      iance
      of
      Student
      Associations,
     
     
      says
      the
      federation’s
      report
     
     
      card
      is
      seriously
      flawed.
     
    

    
     
      When
      asked
      to
      grade
     
     
      Martin,
      Harrison
      said
      he
      de-
     
     
      served
      an
      A-minus.
     
    

    
     
      “In
      the
      realm
      of
      reality,
     
     
      there
      is
      no
      way
      Paul
      Martin
     
     
      can
      be
      given
      an
      F
      forhisrole
      in
     
     
      post-secondary
      education,”
     
     
      said
      Harrison.
      “Last
      year,
      $3
     
     
      billion
      were
      given
      to
      students.
     
     
      Not
      to
      governments,
      not
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
      institutions,
      but
      to
      students.”
     
    

    
     
      Most
      of
      that
      $3
      billion
     
     
      can
      be
      accounted
      for
      through
     
     
      the
      $2.5-billion
      Millennium
     
     
      Scholarship
      Fund.
     
    

    
     
      The
      rest
      was
      given
     
     
      through
      a
      series
      of
      federal
      ini-
     
     
      tiatives,
      Harrison
      said.
     
    

    
     
      For
      example,
      under
      new
     
     
      federal
      regulations
      students
     
     
      have
      more
      time
      to
      apply
      for
     
     
      the
      interest
      on
      their
      loans
      to
      be
     
     
      forgiven.
      A
      student
      who
      has
     
     
      difficulty
      paying
      back
      a
      loan
     
     
      can
      now
      avoid
      paying
      interest
     
     
      for
      five
      years,
      instead
      of
      the
     
     
      previous
      30-month
      period,
      he
     
     
      said.
     
    

    
     
      And
      interest
      on
      student
     
     
      loans
      is
      now
      tax-deductible,
      he
     
    
   
   
    
     
      said.
     
    

    
     
      Harrison,
      whose
      i-
     
     
      zation
      represents
      275,000
      stu-
     
     
      dents
      in
      18
      colleges
      and
      uni-
     
     
      Versities,
      also
      pointed
      out
      Mar-
     
     
      tin
      hashanded
      out
      $100
      million
     
     
      in
      grants
      to
      students
      with
     
     
      dependents.