Opposition parties plan to lean on the Ford government to backtrack on contentious changes to student aid as MPPs return to Queen’s Park for the first time since December.
Both New Democrats and the Greens will introduce motions with the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) on Monday morning.
Last month, the government announced a dramatic cut to the number of grants available to post-secondary students in favour of more repayable loans. Under the change, students will only be able to get 25 per cent of their help through grants, down from 85 per cent.
The Minister of Colleges and Universities has called the current OSAP balance “unsustainable.” Nolan Quinn has promised an extra $6.4 billion for sector over four years and ended a seven-year tuition freeze.
In protests across the province, young people have expressed worry the OSAP changes will put higher education out of reach or mean a burden of debt they may struggle to repay.
In the legislature, the NDP will urge the government to reverse the changes. The Greens want the government to wipe out all interest on loans and offer help to low and middle-income students entirely through grants that don’t need to be paid back.
“We don’t want young people graduating with a huge debt burden at a time when youth unemployment is at all time high,” Green leader Mike Schreiner told CTV News in an interview.
The NDP and Liberals are expected to keep the spotlight on OSAP during Opposition Day at Queen’s Park Wednesday.
A student protest is expected to draw thousands of people to the grounds of the legislature on Tuesday afternoon.
