While students in B.C. carry some of the heftiest debt loads in the country, abrupt changes to post-secondary funding have forced colleges and universities throughout the province to cut staff and programs or use contingency funds to cover the resulting deficits.
“The Campbell government promised stable funding for our colleges and universities,” said Coons. “The Minister of Advanced Education keeps saying there have been no cuts, but the post-secondary schools are saying something different.”
Here in the Northwest, Northwest Community College announced in April that they were facing a $1.5 million dollar deficit due to the budget cuts.
“Who is purposely misleading the public? Advanced Education Minister Murray Coell, or the public post secondary institutions of British Columbia?” Coons asked. “The Campbell Liberal government broke their promise to British Columbians when they cut funding to our colleges and universities, and worse, now they are being deceitful to us about it.”
“The actions of Campbell Liberal government show that education is not one of their priorities,” said Coons. “Their short sightedness threatens our future.”