The Liberals no doubt were expecting the blast they got from the Progressive Conservatives last week when they launched their new 30% tuition rebate program at a time of huge provincial budget deficits. The PCs responded by accusing the government of driving the province further into the red and being unable to rein in spending. The trouble with this criticism is that the government announced it had found enough savings to fully offset the cost of the new tuition grant this year and “the majority” of the cost on an ongoing basis, adding that it would find more savings within the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.
It’s less certain the Liberals were expecting the criticism that emerged from the U of G’s Central Student Association, though. The CSA’s call for all of Ontario’s post-secondary students to get a 13% rebate, instead of a 30% tuition grant going to about one-third of them, highlights that only a minority of those attending university or college in the province are eligible for the new grant.
“Investing in education is one of the smartest things we can do in an uncertain economy,” Premier Dalton McGuinty said in launching the grant program Thursday. “And this grant means more money in the pockets of Ontario students and their families at a time when they need it most.” The key word in this quote seems to be “families.” The tuition grant program, for better or worse, seems aimed primarily at middle-income families feeling the economic pinch.
This is probably smart politics, as the results of last fall’s election indicate. But for many students, it’s a bitter pill.