Local candidates are weighing in on the issue of post-secondary education loans as the Liberals recently released their platform (Michael Joel-Hansen/paNOW Staff)

By Michael Joel-Hansen

student finances

Local candidates weigh in as Liberals release official platform

Sep 30, 2019 | 6:24 PM

Local federal candidates are making their thoughts known about some of the promises in the Liberal Party’s official election platform. One key issue is one that would affect anyone needing to borrow money to attend the city’s post-secondary institutions.

The Liberals are promising more money for the student grant program. They are also pledging to suspend interest on loans where the person is making below $35,000 annually and promising to allow those who have kids to suspend payment on their loans until the child turns five.

The Liberal Party candidate for Prince Albert, Estelle Hjertaas said the issue of post-secondary affordability has been brought to her attention.

“I’ve heard from a lot of people at the doors and just in my personal life that, the way that student loans are is a problem and the repayment can be a real challenge,” she said.

Hjertaas said allowing more flexibility when it comes to repaying loans is an issue she believes to be important as people may not get well-paying jobs right after graduation or may be working seasonal jobs where how much they make differs depending on the time of year.

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Conservative incumbent Randy Hoback said his party’s policies, which are promising tax cuts would do more to help people.

“Our policy on maternity benefits for example, they’d be tax free, a universal tax cut, those are things that we’re doing to do just that, make life more affordable for Canadians and leave more money in their pockets,” he said.

Hoback also stressed the Liberal pledges are adding to the federal deficit and are going to be problematic going into the future.

NDP candidate Harmony Johnson-Harder said in terms of post-secondary education what the Liberals are proposing doesn’t go far enough. Specifically, she said her party’s platform calling for interest to not be charged on student loans is the best policy.

“We shouldn’t be capitalizing off of our students, we need to be supporting them,” she said.

Sexual assault training for judges

Another promise the Liberals are making is to provide sexual assault training for judges. Hjertaas said while she has never seen or heard of any issues of judges behaving in an insensitive manner in P.A., this has not been the case in other parts of the country.

“I think the idea is good and there’s certainly been some cases across Canada that they’re the reason this bill came forward,” she said.

Hjertaas added the original bill which was proposed by Conservative MP Rona Ambrose had some good amendments put into it, specifically that training would be taken after the person was appointed to the bench. Hjertaas said it is also important the bill not interfere with the independence of the judiciary.

Hoback said he supports providing training for judges in terms of sexual assault. He criticized the Liberals for not already pushing the legislation through the senate.

“Why did they let it sit there and die on the order paper,” he questioned.

Johnson-Harder said she is very supportive of the bill which would provide sexual assault training to judges and is important given the important decisions they have to make.

paNOW was not able to immediately connect with Kelly Day, the PPC candidate.

MichaelJoel.Hansen@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @mjhskcdn