Life in Canada is increasingly unaffordable, and interest on student loans is just another way young Canadians are being knocked down.
Student loan debt in Canada continues to plague students and families from low- and middle-income backgrounds.
Over half of students in Canada graduate with student loan debt, and the average debt for students graduating from an undergraduate degree is over $30,000.
With tuition fees continuing to rise that number will only increase in the future.
Every year nearly 500,000 Canadian students turn to student loans to help cover the cost of their education.
The fact remains that interest charged on student loans continues to mean that those who can’t afford to pay up-front for post-secondary education are forced to pay more than those who can.
It's an unfair penalty.
There is only one way to solve this problem: eliminate interest charged on student loans altogether.
Eliminating interest charged on Canada student loans will help young Canadians afford to live in our country with ever-increasing living costs.
It will help them to save up to buy a house, or to start a family, or to work in a much-needed field even if it pays less than other options.
I urge the Justin Trudeau government to follow the lead of British Columbia, and many other provinces, and eliminate interest charged on Canada student loans.
- Michael Olson, Burnaby Now