NDP Leader Singh pledges to forgive student debt during campaign stop in Sudbury
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was at Laurentian University on Saturday to support Sudbury candidate Nadia Verrelli and her push to become the next federal representative in what is sure to be a highly contested riding.
A former Laurentian University professor, Verrelli was laid off as part of the school’s restructuring in April that saw over 100 faculty members lose their jobs.
With her first return to the campus since her position was terminated, Verrelli welcomed Singh to the steps of the University of Sudbury where the two wasted no time in criticizing the Liberal Party Leader Justin Trudeau for not stepping in to save jobs at Laurentian.
"Trudeau's Liberals refused to stand up for students, Trudeau's Liberals refused to stand with the professors, with the staff, with the Francophones, with the indigenous communities," said Verrelli at the press conference.
"Trudeau’s Liberals refused to stand with this community. It was the NDP that held press conferences. It was the NDP that attended the SOS meetings and heard our stories."
For his part, Singh doubled down on Verrelli’s statement and says that Trudeau turned his back on northern Ontario when they needed him most.
"This is a center for Sudbury, of course, in the surrounding area. But it's actually very vital for the North and losing Laurentian and the cuts that have already happened are a devastating blow to indigenous communities, to Francophone communities, and to people in the North who want to learn here, want to stay here. This has been a serious blow," said Singh.
The federal New Democrats were granted an emergency debate regarding Laurentian University in the House of Commons, where much of the country learned of the massive staffing and program cuts seen at Sudbury's largest public insitution.
Joined by several northern party representatives, Singh also laid out his plan to assist students across the country by cancelling interest from federal loans and forgiving student debt.
"What we're going to do for students, we’re going to permanently remove all interest from federal loans for students immediately and permanently. We also know that students are dealing with record levels of debt, far more debt than any of us when we went to university," he said.
"Students are struggling when they graduate. So we want to go beyond just forgiving or for eliminating entirely interest. We want to also forgive student debt to help young people to give them that first step, to make sure that they are not being crushed under the weight of that debt we're going to forgive student debt as well."
This is a developing story...Check back often for updates.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.