By Bryn Levy

Saskatoon NDP candidates announce post-secondary plan

Oct 1, 2015 | 5:02 PM

Saskatoon’s NDP candidates presented their party’s plans for post-secondary students on Thursday.

Scott Bell (Saskatoon-Grasswood), Claire Card (Saskatoon-University) and Sheri Benson (Saskatoon West) were all on hand for an announcement in front of St. Andrew’s College on the University of Saskatchewan campus.

They relayed their party’s pledge to phase out interest on federal student loans over the next seven years. They also promised $250 million in new grants to make post-secondary more accessible for people.

Card, a professor at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, said the party wasn’t interested in targeting grants at any specific degree programs, rather, she said they simply wanted to make higher education more affordable for anyone who wants to go.

Asked about federal funding for universities, Benson said Thursday’s announcement was targeted specifically at student debt relief and affordability. She said that, if elected, an NDP government would consult with the provinces on how to best deliver post-secondary education.

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Card said that, on average, students gets about 60 per cent of their loans from the federal government, with the rest coming from provincial loan programs.

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