The Nanaimo Ladysmith MP says she’s looking forward to kicking the tires on some new legislation for pay equity as was promised in the budget.
Sheila Malcolmson says she was suprised to hear it mentioned in the budget but with no money attached…..
Malcolmson says she was really hoping to see some money in the budget for more child care spaces but there was none.
Instead, Malcolmson says there was money to spend on consultants, think tanks, symposia and roundtables to study the issue of getting more women into entrepreneurial roles and she found that frustrating.
Malcolmson says good things in the budget for women included more legal aid money and paid time off for women who need to relocate to escape domestic violence.
Post secondary students say their concerns were conspicuously absent from the Federal budget.
Budget 2018 made some small improvements for students such as funding to support women in trades programs, Indigenous education, increased funding for youth employment and more money for research.
But students have been calling on the federal government to eliminate interest on student loans to make education more affordable.
Avery Bonner is the director of external relations with Vancouver Island University’s Students Union…
Bonner says students also struggle with affordable housing and the rising costs of textbooks….
Bonner says the government of Canada charges the highest rates of interest on student loans of any jurisdiction in the country.
