Ontario college and university students want the provincial government to cut tuition fees by nearly a third for all students and pay for this mainly by raising personal income taxes on the rich and hitting companies with a big new tax hike.
The umbrella group that represents 300,000 provincial students said Monday it plans to meet with MPPs and Cabinet ministers this week to press for more than $800 million in help for students.
The provincial budget for the 2014-15 fiscal year is expected to be tabled in a few weeks by Finance Minister Charles Sousa.
While the Liberal government has a tuition rebate program for some students, the federation wants a 30 per cent tuition cut for all students over three years, at a cost of $636 million by year three.
The group also wants cuts in graduate study fees and more grad spaces, an end to unpaid work in the public sector and other benefits for students that overall would add $817 million a year in costs.
"Students and youth in Ontario pay the highest tuition fees in the country and are faced with record-high levels of student debt and dismal employment options," said Alastair Woods, chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario. "This week, students will be meeting with MPPs from all parties to present solutions to this crisis."
To pay for this, the federation is proposing a two per cent income tax surcharge on anyone earning more than $250,000 a year ─ which would raise $260 million a year ─ and a hike in corporate taxes.
The federation says putting the corporate tax rate back up to 14 per cent, where it was in 2009, from 11.5 per cent today and restoring capital taxes would raise $3.9 billion.
It's unlikely the Liberals would agree to such a drastic corporate tax hike since it runs the risk of curbing job-creation efforts by companies at a time when students and other young workers need to be integrated into the workforce.
On average, the federation said, undergraduate students in Ontario pay $7,259 in tuition fees and graduate students pay $8,456, about three times what students in Newfoundland and Labrador pay.
"In the coming weeks, the Liberal government and the opposition parties will lay out their priorities for Ontario," Woods said. "MPPs must not leave students and their families behind and commit to addressing high tuition fees and student debt."
Students will be meeting MPPs from every party and from all regions of the province, including Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities Brad Duguid, deputy premier Deb Matthews, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath and Rob Leone, PC critic for training, colleges and universities.

Students groups to press MPPs for aid in coming budget

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