1 StudentsNS Questions for candidates From Nova Scotia Liberal Party Completed September 13, 2013 1. If elected, what would your party do to ensure post-secondary education is accessible and affordable to all interested and qualified students? We need to look at the affordability for education and the opportunities that students have upon graduation. We also need to look at how we best prepare our students leaving our P-12 system for postsecondary education. We are committed to eliminating interest from the provincial portion of student loans and providing innovation grants for students at the graduate level. We need to take a hard look at how universities are funded. I believe that the federal government should be offering more money to Nova Scotia so we can provide greater opportunities for access. Currently PSE dollars go to the provinces, via transfers, where the student was born, over 13,000 of Nova Scotia s student population are from other provinces in Canada- however, Nova Scotia is not seeing that money being transferred with the student. We have to pressure the federal government to change its funding pattern to offer more access opportunities for students. 2. In particular, what would you do to expand access to post-secondary education for underrepresented groups (e.g. Aboriginal and African Nova Scotians, first generation students)? A Liberal government will look to those groups and institutions working with Nova Scotians who are underrepresented in our post-secondary education system to consult how best to reach them. For some, accessing post-secondary education is not just a financial issue, but it can also be a situation where post-secondary education was never considered an option for them. With a fully resourced public education system, it our hope that more students will be counseled, coached, and prepared to enter the post-secondary education system. 3. The Nova Scotia Student Assistance Program provides targeted financial help to the students who need it the most. How would your party improve student assistance to cut student debt and improve post-secondary accessibility? We have seen governments give interest free money to big corporations while charging interest on loans borrowed by our students. A Liberal government will eliminate interest on the provincial portion of student loans. A Liberal government will work with students and include students in conversations that affect them. Students have been effectively shut out of discussions impacting their future. In terms of access, we need to reach out to those people who face barriers and have a real discussion about access and how it can be built into our assistance system.
2 4. Nova Scotia universities have been through an extended period of funding instability, including significant increases in university operating grants followed by a 10% cut over three years. How would your party ensure our universities are funded responsibly so as to protect and enhance quality of education and affordability? Federal transfers for post-secondary education currently go to provinces where students are born. Nova Scotia welcomes over 13,000 out of province students a year- without seeing the benefit of that federal funding. A Liberal government will lobby- with our federal counterparts to have transfers reflect where people study and not where they re born. International students are a great asset to our communities and our universities- we need to look at how we can best attract students who will come to our universities and hopefully stay in Nova Scotia to build their careers and lives. We will also support universities and look at how we can leverage the research and innovative work happening in the province, Universities are very good at working with the private sector to build research partnerships. As a province, we need to look at how we can best leverage these monies to advance our university system. The MOU between the government and universities expires in 2015. We need to look to the future working with students and universities at how we can continue to have the strongest university system in the province that is accessible to all. 5. While tuition is regulated for Canadian students, universities are able to charge added fees for nonacademic expenses without limitations or meaningful consultation with students. How would your party ensure students have meaningful input into the approval of new ancillary fees? Students have to be a part of that discussion, because they get hit hard by these fees. We have tabled legislation in the past calling for a full review of fees and how they compare to other jurisdictions. We need to bring students back to the table for real consultation. Universities cannot make up revenue shortfalls by impeding access to students to their education and necessary services. A Liberal government will work with students and universities on how fees can best recover costs incurred without becoming a revenue stream for institutions. 6. Nova Scotia must enroll graduate students to keep young people here, generate research and maintain university enrolment. What would your party do to ensure Nova Scotia is competitive, nationally and internationally, for graduate students? A Liberal government will invest in our graduate students and will offer graduate research and innovation grants from $10,000-$15,000 per student for 300 students a year. We need to encourage research and innovation - investing in our students and supporting their work will make Nova Scotia more competitive. We need to also continue and build on our collaborations with the private sector to ensure that Nova Scotia can grow our knowledge economy and reach its full potential in being a research and innovation hub. This will help attract graduate students from all over Canada and internationally. 7. Recently released sunshine lists showed that university presidents earn as much as $440,000 per year with significant bonuses and annual raises, even when their institutions are making cutbacks. Does
3 your party see this as a problem? If so, what would your party do to keep the compensation of university executives under control? This is a serious issue that needs to be looked at with universities and students. ANSUT and students have raised concerns about administration costs. As mentioned above, the current MOU is expiring in 2015. The next MOU must address administration costs and transparency about compensation packages. 8. Post-secondary education quality is about preparing students for life long success, including in their citizenship, careers and personal wellbeing. What concrete steps would your party take to enhance the quality of post-secondary education? Students need to be able to access services on campus. We need to ensure that on- campus student services are made available and accessible to students. We have an enviable post-secondary education system in Nova Scotia and this is evident in the over 20,000 students who come to Nova Scotia universities from out of province and abroad. We need to ensure that all students can access quality services on campus. A Liberal government will work with students and universities to ensure that quality student services are made available. 9. Serious problems have been identified with the transparency of university financial reporting, which have allowed some institutions to mislead students and the public. How would your party ensure that universities are accountable and transparent in their budgeting and spending? As mentioned earlier, we need to address transparency of reporting and compensation in the MOU. Nova Scotia invests a lot of money into our students and on behalf of our students; we have to know that these monies are being spent responsibly and that all stakeholders are aware of how these monies are allocated. 10. Nova Scotia s post-secondary system has long been criticized for not functioning as a system at all. What would your party do to ensure Nova Scotia s ten universities, 13 community college campuses, and many private career colleges collaborate effectively for the benefit of all Nova Scotians? Government is in a good position to bring these bodies together to collaborate. We need to modernize the system in such a way that recognizes that students may want greater flexibility in building their educations. In order to do that easily, institutions need to work together. I believe that government should have a hand in bringing these bodies together and building these collaborations to offer our students more flexible, and maybe even richer educational experiences. 11. Most university students fall within the typical onset ages for most major mental illnesses. What would your party do to support the health and wellness of Nova Scotia s post-secondary students? A Liberal government will continue to implement the provincial mental health strategy. We need to take a hard look at accountability around the strategy and timelines and benchmarks for access and delivery
4 of mental health care. This is also an opportunity to collaborate with students and universities to make mental health services available to all. 12. Many Nova Scotia students are unsure about what to do with their lives once they graduate from high school, and about existing opportunities for rewarding careers. How would your party ensure Nova Scotian students have the best information possible when making decisions about their post-secondary education and career paths? We need to ensure that our p-12 system is well resourced so our students get crucial guidance services before applying to post-secondary institutions. A Liberal government will reinvest the $65 million that the NDP cut from public education. As well, it is imperative that career counseling be made available to students and that, as mentioned earlier; we build collaborations between institutions so students can tailor their educations to the future careers they wish to follow. We have to start looking at ways to be more flexible with how students are educated and how they want to be educated. This could mean that students take some university courses and NSCC courses, but we have to start looking at how we can make that flexibility possible. 13. Housing plays an integral part in students success and wellbeing while attending post-secondary and after graduation. What would your party do to ensure housing is affordable for students and graduates? Nova Scotia has a housing crisis. Nova Scotia has a deferred federal contribution of $58 million dollars to invest in affordable housing initiatives targeted at low income households. Housing advocates have been calling on governments to invest this money as it was intended; a Liberal government is committed to do so. This will give government an opportunity to invest in housing and provide housing initiatives for Nova Scotians in need. 14. Students are especially vulnerable to sexual assault, while Nova Scotia has the highest sexual assault rates in Canada. What would your party do to ensure students are safe in our communities? We have to act on sexual assault. We must invest in prevention programs and services for victims. A Liberal government will commit to a province wide sexual assault strategy working with front line workers and other stakeholders. In 2006, a Needs Assessment was done on the sexual assault crisis in the province. The research has been done. It is time to come together and act. 15. Nova Scotia faces a youth employment crisis, which feeds out-migration just as population aging is shrinking our youth cohort. This is a recipe for demographic, economic, social and cultural decline. What goals would your party set for improving youth economic outcomes and what concrete initiatives would you pursue to achieve these goals? 16. The Graduate Retention Rebate has been found to have no discernible impact on youth retention, and it is not accessible to many students who do not find well-paid work post-graduation or who are less
5 well informed financially. What alternative initiatives would your party pursue to support youth retention and attraction? The Graduate Retention Rebate is not doing what it was intended to do and it is evident in the numbers of young people we have leaving the province every year. A Liberal government will invest in a Graduate to Opportunity Program where small and medium sized enterprises will be eligible to get incentives to hire recent graduates, give much needed experience, and grow small and medium sized enterprises across the province. We will also support increasing immigration targets and focusing on attracting international students to come and hopefully grow their careers and their lives in Nova Scotia. 17. Will your party commit to continue tying Nova Scotia s minimum wage to the Low-Income Cut- Off? The Liberal Party has no intention of changing the minimum wage structure in the province. 18. International students present a critical opportunity for Nova Scotia to expand cultural diversity in our classrooms and communities and to increase immigration. How would your party support international students success in Nova Scotia? We have to attract and retain our international students. The way we can do that is by offering them opportunities to stay, to work, and to raise their families. We have to look at how we can work with universities and settlement agencies to help international students integrate and be able to participate fully in Nova Scotian life. 19. Students are the most important stakeholders in our university system, and currently its most significant funders. How would your party ensure students participate meaningfully in setting the direction of our university system? Students have to be part of the conversation when it comes to our post-secondary education system. A Liberal government will ensure full participation of students in discussions that have a direct impact on our post-secondary education sector. We cannot move forward without our students. Nova Scotia needs to invest in our human capital in order for our province to increase economic growth, competitiveness and opportunities. 20. Please detail one other commitment your party is making which you think is particularly relevant to students. Housing costs and general affordability are tied to power rates in Nova Scotia. A Liberal government will break the Nova Scotia Power Monopoly and allow renewable energy producers to compete in a highly regulated market. Nova Scotians cannot afford to continue paying the highest energy prices in Canada. It affects the cost of housing; the cost of our goods and has an impact on businesses being able to hire and retain employees. A competitive market will bring fairness to energy prices in Nova Scotia.