Students are speaking out after the cancellation of a program that provided employment insurance benefits to students.
According to a news release from the Federation of Students at the Université de Moncton (FÉÉCUM), the Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labor made the announcement yesterday in a memo to certain key groups.
Student Federation President Jean-Sébastien Léger is concerned about student well-being because there is no alternative to the NB-EI Connect Program.
Dawson Fraser, a student from Dieppe who is pursuing a master’s degree in classical studies at Dalhousie University in Halifax, N.S., said in an interview Friday afternoon that he felt sick to his stomach when he heard the news.
“This is going to push students further into debt and it might cause some students to stop their studies altogether,” said Fraser.
“And if so many students stop their studies, with the labour shortage already as bad it is, it’s only going to get worse.”
Fraser said he was collecting EI benefits from the program during the last school year and he intended to do so again for the 2022-23 academic year.
But with the program axed, he said he is now worried about the future of his education.
“If the program doesn’t get reinstated, I’ll need to find some way to supplement that income, so I might need to work during my schooling, on top of the job I already do,” said Fraser.
Chuck Chiasson, the official opposition critic for post-secondary education, training and labour, said in a statement the decision is making post-secondary education inaccessible for low-income students.
“When speaking to media yesterday, Premier Higgs stated that this program never should have been created. He believes this is a positive thing,” said Chiasson.
“His comments demonstrate clearly just how out of touch he is with the struggles that average families are having to pay for post-secondary education.”
Chiasson said the Liberals are calling on the Higgs’ government to remove the financial barriers that discourage high school graduates to attend higher education.
The NB-EI Connect program was created in 2016, and nearly 7,000 students registered over the past year to help meet financial needs.
With files from Tara Clow and Aaron Sousa.
