Ignatieff promises help for students for college or university
Posted Mar 29, 2011 10:04:06 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Michael Ignatieff says a Liberal government would spend $1-billion a year on a new student aid program to encourage high schoolers to pursue post-secondary education.
The Liberal leader’s proposed “learning passport” would provide tax-free grants of $4,000 – or $1,000 a year for four years – for students across Canada to attend college or university.
Students from low-income families would qualify for as much as $6,500 over four years, or up to $1,500 a year.
The money would be provided through existing registered education savings plans, or RESPs, but families would not be required to make contributions.
The funds would be held until the student decides to go to school.
The $1-billion figure is based on estimates that roughly one million students attend college or university each year; if each student gets $1,000, it works out to about $1-billion.
