9/5/2018 Gallant promises free tuition to more students - The Daily Gleaner, 2018-09-05 Gallant promises free tuition to more students

JOHN CHILIBECK

LEGISLATURE BUREAU

Brian Gallant is promising to offer more students free tuition in the event of a Liberal win in the Sept. 24 election.

The Liberal leader says the popular program helped more than 6,300 students at public universities and colleges last year, keeping the institutions vibrant following years of plummeting enrolment.

“This will change lives,” Gallant told reporters Tuesday inside a small classroom at the University of in Saint John.“It will create more opportunities for our youth to stay in New Brunswick.”

The Progressive Conservative opposition said it too was committed to affordable, high-quality post-secondary education for New Brunswick students, but wouldn’t give the University students Marissa McMackin, left, tuition access bursary an automatic free pass. and Alyssa McCready are pleased to hear the Liberals have promised to give more students The pledged to raise the threshold for family income free tuition if re-elected Sept. 24. PHOTO: of a student receiving the free tuition benefit to $70,000 from JOHN CHILIBECK/LEGISLATURE $60,000 and index it to inflation in the future. BUREAU Gallant also committed to making increases to the sliding scale used for his government’s tuition relief for the middle class program, which helped more than 1,400 students last year.

But the leader did not provide a cost estimate, saying it would be disclosed to Elections New Brunswick in the coming days, according to the law.

Student reaction was mixed to the expansion of one of Gallant’s signature programs, introduced two years ago.

Marissa McMackin of said she was pleased more students would be included.

“Right now, there are a lot of middle class people who are left out, for instance, people who make a little bit over the threshold,” she said as she crossed campus at Tucker Park. “We were left out, and it would have made a big difference for our family.”

Colton Hudson, a science and engineering student in second year, did not qualify for free tuition and does not believe it is fair that some people will still get the freebie while others will not.

http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Olive/ODN/DailyGleaner/PrintArticle.aspx?doc=BNFDG%2F2018%2F09%2F05&entity=ar00901&ts=20180905054205&uq=2018… 1/2 9/5/2018 Gallant promises free tuition to more students - The Daily Gleaner, 2018-09-05 “University is expensive for everyone and I wouldn’t mind a little bit of help. People who absolutely can afford the tuition should pay. But a lot of people in the middle class, there’s really not as many options for them.”

Hudson says next year he has to study at the Fredericton campus and pay room and board for the first time, a change that will likely set him back $20,000.

For Joseph Long, a first-year computer science student, the tuition access bursary made a huge difference.

“I don’t have to worry as much about student loans, so it helps out a lot,” said Long, who has three siblings. “I’d definitely be in a worse situation without it. I would have still come to university, but at least now I’m stress-free and I can focus on my studies without worrying as much.”

Gallant said repeatedly during his announcement that Progressive Conservative Leader Blaine Higgs would cut free tuition if he took power Sept.

24.

Higgs wasn’t available for interviews Tuesday, but Tory candidate said Gallant’s statement about his leader’s intentions was a lie.

“A Blaine Higgs government will look at every program, including the tuition access bursary, to make sure they’re delivering what New Brunswickers want: affordable, accessible, high quality education,” he said in an email. “It’s a new program and, while we know university enrolment is down, we haven’t seen other details.”

Cardy said a close look at the free tuition program wouldn’t necessarily mean it would be on the chopping block.

“We have no intentions of cutting programs based on partisanship, and no intentions of lying to win votes.”

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