That will mean than even more of your tax dollars will go towards paying the interest on the debt, alone. We currently spend more to service our debt than we spend in total on education. So were taking action now to restore the economic health of the province. Even with these increases in tuition fees, Ontario students will still pay only a portion of the total cost for their education. University students, for example, paid about 26 percent of the total cost of their education in l995-96.
Taxpayers cover most of the remaining cost.
College students paid about 19 percent of the total cost of their education in 1995-96, with taxes paying for most of the remaining amount. During our election campaign last spring, we promised to deregulate tuition fees so theft students could pay a fairer share of their education. While no one likes to see increases, we do need to bear in mind that there is a long history showing that people who have post-secondary education earn more money than those who do not. Our government remains committed to supporting post-secondary education to the best of its current utilities and resources. We are, in collaboration with the federal government, looking into changes to student assistance to ensure that post-secondary education remains accessible to everyone who is qualified to attend an institution.