NDP Federal election candidate Ray Critch for St. John’s South—Mount Pearl shares his views on post-secondary education.
When asked about the importance of free speech on university campuses, Critch states, “universities work best when they are the sites of rigorous and thoughtful debate and discussion, so generally yes, though certain exceptions for harassment or hate speech should nonetheless be observed on campus as they are elsewhere.”
Concerning the recent event on MUN Campus when President Vianne Timmons had posters asking her to resign torn down, Critch states, “I don’t tell students how to protest, and neither should the President unless those protests are interfering with the functioning of the institution. Posters don’t do that.”
When asked about what role the federal government should play in post-secondary education, Critch states that the federal government is involved through funding of research and student loan programs. However, he says that the federal government could instead provide grants and eliminate loans. According to Critch, this approach would ensure that students do not have to bear the financial burden of their education. He also says that research funding that properly accounts for the cost of graduate work could be done.
Critch states that the federal government could also support students through other programs: “I’m of the view that a basic income should include students, as should pharmacare and dental care, so those would all help students with their other non-education costs.”
Matt Barter is a fourth-year student in the Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty at Memorial University of Newfoundland, majoring in Political Science with a minor in Sociology. He enjoys reading thought-provoking articles, walks in nature, and volunteering in the community.
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