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Recent
Students'
Association
lobbying
work
for
increased
post-secondary
funding
by
Rob
Mealey
In
late
November
two
CNC
Students'
Association
representatives
had
the
opportunity
to
meet
with
several
Federal
Members
of
Parliament
while
attending
a
national
meeting
of
the
Canadian
Federation
of
Students
in
Ottawa,
and
lobby
them
to
do
their
part
to
reduce
tuition
fees.
"Whenever
we
send
representatives
to
meetings
outside
Prince
George
we
also
try
to
use
the
opportunity
to
lobby
government
and
opposition
politicians
on
a
variety
of
issues
on
behalf
of
all
CNC
students,"
said
Shirley
Zornow,
the
Students'
Association
Chairperson.
"Lobbying
is
an
important
part
of
our
campaign
to
reduce
tuition
fees
and
solve
the
funding
problems
CNC
and
other
institutions
are
facing.
We
need
to
lobby
our
Federal
Government
to
work
with
the
provinces
and
ensure
our
colleges
and
universities
are
properly
funded."
Among
the
lobbying
sessions
scheduled
this
time
was
supposed
to
be
a
meeting
with
the
Hon.
David
Emerson,
current
Minister
of
Industry
and
Liberal
MP
(Van-couver-Kingsway),
but
last-minute
business
related
to
the
recent
non-confidence
vote
kept
him
away.
"It
was
unfortunate
we
didn't
get
to
directly
lobby
Minister
Emerson,
but
we
were
able
to
spend
the
time
meeting
with
his
senior
staff"
said
Valentine
Crawford,
the
Association's
Ex
ternal
Affairs
Coordinator
and
one
of
the
representatives
who
traveled
to
Ottawa,
"Among
other
things
were
very
successful
in
raising
concerns
regarding
proposed
changes
to
Canada's
copyright
laws
that
will
affect
students,
such
as
intellectual
property
rights
over
our
own
academic
work."
Crawford
and
Women
Students'
Liaison
Jessica
Sandy,
the
other
Students'
Association
representative
present,
also
met
with
MP
Nathan
Cullen
(Skeena-Bulk-ley
Valley),
the
NDP
critic
for
Environment,
National
Parks
and
Youth.
"Mr.
Cullen
was
very
receptive
to
our
concerns
and
supports
our
position
that
public
post-secondary
education
funding
must
increase
immediately
in
order
to
meet
the
needs
of
communities
across
Canada
such
as
Prince
George,"
said
Crawford.
In
recent
years
Students'
Association
representatives
has
been
able
to
directly
lobby
other
federal
politicians
such
as
Conservative
MP
Jay
Hill
(Prince
George-Peace
River),
NDP
MP
Libby
Davies
(Vancouver-East),
and
former
chair
of
the
Liberal
Post-Secondary
Education
Caucus
MP
Peter
Adams
(Peterborough).
The
Association
also
makes
an
annual
presentation
to
the
BC
Standing
Committee
on
Finance
and
Government
Services
and
lobbies
numerous
BC
politicians
calling
on
the
provincial
government
to
reduce
tuition
fees.
to-4v
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mm
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A
rare
weekday
moment
of
quiet
at
CNC's
main
entrance
Picture
by
Kim
Bonnelu
The
Reduce
Tuition
Fee
campaign
gears
up
for
2006
Students
at
CNC
and
across
the
province
may
be
focused
on
final
exams
right
now,
but
they're
also
concerned
with
the
effect
skyrocketing
tuition
fees
is
having
on
their
pockets.
"By
the
middle
of
2006
BC
students
will
be
paying
almost
half
a
billion
dollars
more
in
tuition
fees
than
they
were
in
20012002,"
said
Shirley
Zornow,
Chairperson
of
the
CNC
Students'
Association.
"Students
have
done
more
than
their
fair
share
to
help
the
BC
Government
reduce
the
deficit,
and
it's
getting
harder
each
year
for
students
to
cover
the
funding
the
Government
cut
out
of
the
system.
It's
time
for
them
to
properly
fund
our
colleges
and
universities."
During
the
Fall
Semester
Stu
dents'
Association
representatives
have
lobbied
and
submitted
reports
to
provincial
and
federal
government
officials
outlining
the
impact
tuition
fee
increases
is
having
on
CNC
students.
With
the
BC
Government
expected
to
table
it's
next
budget
in
Spring
2006,
students'
unions
across
the
province
are
getting
ready
to
step
up
the
Reduce
Tuition
Fees
campaign.
"The
BC
Government
has
forecasted
a
budget
surplus
of
at
least
$1.3
billion,
and
recently
there
was
an
attempt
to
implement
wage
increases
for
MLAs,"
stated
Rob
Mealey,
the
Association's
Resource
Coordinator.
"If
they
have
the
money
to
increase
MLA
wages,
then
obviously
they
must
be
able
to
afford
properly
funding
our
education.
It's
time
we
demand
action."
As
part
of
the
ongoing
Reduce
Tuition
Fees
campaign
that
students'
unions
across
Canada
take
part
in,
new
postcards
calling
on
government
to
increase
funding
and
reduce
tuition
fees
are
now
being
distributed.
"We
hope
to
get
as
many
people
in
the
community
as
possible,
not
just
CNC
students,
to
sign
these
postcards,"
said
External
Affairs
Coordinator
Valentine
Crawford.
"We
hope
to
collect
all
postcards
by
mid-January
and
submit
them,
along
with
postcards
from
students
across
BC,
to
both
the
Federal
and
Provincial
governments."
Copies
of
the
postcards
are
available
at
the
Students'
Association
office
and
postcard-signing
tables
will
be
set
up
in
the
New
Year.
For
more
information
on
the
campaign
to
make
education
more
affordable
or
to
volunteer
visit
visit
www.cncsa.ca.
Write
for
Free
Forum!
Everyone
welcome.
Email
us
at
ncsncnc.bc.ca
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