CALGARY – An Alberta NDP government will freeze post-secondary tuition and reverse the latest round of tuition hikes if elected in May, Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley announced Thursday.
Standing with students at the University of Calgary, Notley committed that an Alberta NDP government will freeze tuition at 2022-23 levels, canceling the latest round of tuition hikes and capping any future increases to inflation. This will save nearly 300,000 Alberta students a collective $102 million this coming year.
“Post secondary education is the key to unlocking a better life,” Notley said. “Whether you’re a young person starting a career, or a not-so-young person changing careers, post-secondary provides that opportunity to increase your income and pursue your dreams.
“The students in our universities, colleges, trade schools and polytechnics are the high-skilled workers of the future. They are the innovators and entrepreneurs of the future. So let’s invest in ourselves, and make sure that all of this talent and inspiration gets a chance to thrive.”
Notley also committed to conducting a full review of Alberta post-secondary funding and tuition, one that will include students as an important voice at the table.
Over the last four years, the UCP cut $700 million from the operating budgets of Alberta’s universities, colleges and technical institutions. The cuts have resulted in canceled programs, campus closures, staff layoffs and steep tuition hikes on students during a period of 40-year-high inflation.
“These UCP tuition spikes have made life more expensive for students and their families during the worst cost of living crisis in 40 years,” said Edmonton-North West candidate and Advanced Education Critic David Eggen. “For some Albertans, Danielle Smith and the UCP have pushed post-secondary education out of reach altogether. This is bad for Alberta families and it’s bad for our economic future.”
Nicole Schmidt, President of the University of Calgary Students’ Union, estimates that tuition alone has increased by 33 per cent since 2019. This equates to about $1,200 and $6,000 more per year for domestic and international students, respectively.
“Students are paying much, much more and receiving no additional benefit for those increased dollars,” said Schmidt. “The plan to roll tuition back to 2022-23 levels will save students money. Rachel’s plan to cap any future increases at inflation provides stability and predictability to tuition. This predictability of what students will pay has been sorely lacking for the last few years.”
The University of Calgary (UofC) has lost $105.3 million in operating funding over the last four years, a cut of 22 per cent, resulting in the loss of more than 550 staff positions and 200 research projects.
“As a professor myself, I know this announcement will change the lives of so many Albertans and set our economy on a path for long-term growth,” said Calgary-Varsity candidate Luanne Metz.
Third-year law student Natalie Ofukany said the tuition increases mean more of her peers have been working multiple jobs and skipping meals because they cannot afford to eat and pay their tuition.
“It just feels like no matter how much we plan, or how we are able to pay for university, it’s just not enough and changes so fast,” she said. “A tuition freeze would make life so much easier for so many of my peers, for families in Alberta hoping to send their kids to school, and incoming or future students.”
Leave a Reply