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 lost 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 double down on Verrelli’s statement and says that Trudeau has turned his back on northern Ontario.
"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 is been a serious blow," said Singh.
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 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 - 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
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.