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 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.
The federal New Democrats were granted an emergency debate on Laurentian Universityin the House of Commons, where much of the country learned of the large staffing and program cuts seen at Sudbury's 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 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
Outdated cancer screening guidelines jeopardizing early detection, doctors say
A group of doctors say Canadian cancer screening guidelines set by a national task force are out-of-date and putting people at risk because their cancers aren't detected early enough.
Lululemon unveils first summer kit for Canada's Olympic and Paralympic teams
Lululemon says it is combining function and fashion in its first-ever summer kit for Canada's Olympians and Paralympians.
'I just started crying': Blue Jays player signs jersey for man in hospital
An Ontario woman says she never expected to be gifted a Blue Jays jersey for her ailing husband when she sat alone at the team’s home opener next to a couple of kind strangers.
Mussolini's wartime bunker opens to the public in Rome
After its last closure in 2021, it has now reopened for guided tours of the air raid shelter and the bunker. The complex now includes a multimedia exhibition about Rome during World War II, air raid systems for civilians, and the series of 51 Allied bombings that pummeled the city between July 1943 and May 1944.
LIVE @ 4 EDT Freeland to present 2024 federal budget, promising billions in new spending
Canadians will learn Tuesday the entirety of the federal Liberal government's new spending plans, and how they intend to pay for them, when Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland tables the 2024 federal budget.
B.C. woman facing steep medical bills, uncertain future after Thailand crash
The family of a Victoria, B.C., woman who was seriously injured in an accident in Thailand is pleading for help as medical bills pile up.
Step inside 'The Brain': Northern education tool aims to promote drug safety
An immersive experience inside a massive dome coined 'The Brain' is helping youth learn about brain function and addiction
WATCH Half of Canadians living paycheque-to-paycheque: Equifax
As Canadians deal with a crushing housing shortage, high rental prices and inflationary price pressures, now Equifax Canada is warning that Canadian consumers are increasingly under stress"from the surging cost of living.
Ontario woman charged almost $7,000 for 20-minute taxi ride abroad
An Ontario woman was shocked to find she’d been charged nearly $7,000 after unknowingly using an unauthorized taxi company while on vacation in January.