A Wilted Weed By Any Other Name...

This post comes a little late but I have been unable to comment any sooner and felt that this recent development with the Saskatchewan NDP warranted commentary.

According to the CBC, our inept governing party is considering a name change.

At their annual convention November 17-19, the NDP will consider changing their name to the Social Democratic Party. It seems that even the NDP themselves is realizing that they are no longer NEW! Indeed, this is a tired government with outdated policies and a lack of original ideas for the province. Everyone else, but for a few socialists in Regina and Saskatoon, has realized this. It is about time that the party realized it as well.

In fact, I think Brad Wall put it best when in the legislature on Thursday, he stated:
“Mr. Speaker, we understand the NDP’s problem in terms of their name. They’re not new; they’re not very democratic; and based on the grim look from the member for Regina Dewdney, it’s not much of a party over there either”

In fact, after hearing the NDP referred to by so many interesting names by Saskatchewanians over the past few years, the Saskatchewan Party has decided to hold a competition for the public to rename the Calvert’s hapless party. I encourage you all to participate by going to: http://www.skcaucus.com/npdname.html.

Alberta's New Tuition Policy: End to the Tuition Freeze a Good Thing

Alberta’s government has announced that the unofficial two-year tuition freeze in the province has ended. Instead, tuition increases will now be linked to inflation . Of course, student leaders have been balking at this prospect.

What student leaders are failing to grasp is that this is a good thing. This limits the amount by which universities can increase tuition fees so that any increases are in line with increases in the costs of other goods and services. At the same time, the government has committed to increase funding to universities each year so that any shortfalls the universities might experience due to this limitation can be achieved.

It really is not a surprise that student leaders oppose this development. Indeed, most blindly support tuition freezes as a credible way to deal with the cost of financing a university education. However, this view is shortsighted, naïve, and, in the long run, detrimental to the quality of education that future generations will receive.

While tuition freeze, to students, sounds like a good idea, there is reason for students to be concerned about such legislation.

Because tuition freezes limit the ways in which universities can make up for financial shortfalls, they are forced to make cutbacks to their budgets that are potentially damaging. Indeed, as facilities degrade and faculty salaries increase, the costs of providing quality post-secondary education will inevitably increase as well. If the provincial government does not commit to funding these increased costs, the quality of education that students receive will be compromised. This has happened in the province of Quebec where tuition has been frozen for years. While tuition fees remain low, infrastructure is crumbling, faculty members are leaving in droves due to uncompetitive salaries and class sizes are growing.

The situation that this presents is one where universities will ultimately have to find some way around the tuition freeze. Whether this is by increasing auxiliary fees or otherwise, tuition fees might not necessarily increase but the burden placed on students would. Again, I will point to Quebec. Universities in that province exploit a loophole in the provincially legislated tuition freeze. Although Quebec students pay the lowest fees in the country (if you are a resident of Quebec), they are hit with the highest auxiliary fees.

Tuition freezes are a short-term solution to the problem that universities face. It is a catchphrase that certain political parties, namely the NDP, have thrown around. I will again point to another province in Canada where a tuition freeze was implemented: BC. The NDP government in BC was inconsistent in the funding it granted to universities. While students faced low tuition fee levels for a time, it all came to a crashing halt when the BC Liberals took office and lifted the tuition freeze, as they rightly should have. Rather than facing increases similar to those of other goods and services, as will be the case in Alberta, students saw their tuition fees skyrocketed as universities in the province sought to recuperate the losses that they had faced under the previous system.

Of course I understand that it is the job of student leaders to criticize and find fault with government decisions concerning post-secondary education, it would be nice if they acknowledged the realities that governments face and the long-term consequences of the policies that they are promoting. The Government of Alberta has done a good thing when it comes to addressing the increased cost of Post-Secondary Education and other provinces should be following suit.