Restoring the health of the post-secondary system in Ontario and elsewhere in Canada is possible, they said, with increases in federal support, improved accessibility to institutions and a renewed financial commitment to research. However, several of the students, educators and researchers who appeared before the subcommittee agreed that immediate action was necessary to alleviate the situation. However, Patterson applauded the federal government's recent budget for investing in students, university research and infrastructure. We believe that such investments are on exactly the right track. To help them through these tough times, institutions should seek out ways to co-operate with each other, as well as private industry, said Joan Homer of the Association of Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology of Ontario.
Strategic partnerships are a strength of colleges, partnering with the community.
They recommended a national consultation process on work and how students could be better prepared to meet the future needs of the market. Terence Young, MPP, parliamentary assistant to the Ontario Minister of Education and Training said the federal government must move quickly to allow Ontario to set up an income-contingent loan repayment plan to help students pay off their student loans. We have been negotiating this issue with the federal government since 1995. We need to see a workable plan in place for September 1997. However, the Canadian Federation of Students' chair, Vicki Smallman, urged a more consistent approach to student aid reform across the country.