CASA Press Release – The Voice https://www.voicemagazine.org By AU Students, For AU Students Fri, 21 Jun 2019 20:09:09 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.voicemagazine.org/app/uploads/cropped-voicemark-large-32x32.png CASA Press Release – The Voice https://www.voicemagazine.org 32 32 137402384 Students are Voting https://www.voicemagazine.org/2019/06/21/students-are-voting/ https://www.voicemagazine.org/2019/06/21/students-are-voting/#respond Fri, 21 Jun 2019 20:30:08 +0000 https://www.voicemagazine.org/?p=28195 Read more »]]> OTTAWA, June 18, 2019 – The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) released a polling report today, showing that post-secondary students are very motivated to vote in the upcoming federal election, and that political parties all have a chance to gain their support by addressing their main concerns.
It is a common belief that young people and students are not reliable voters. However, this report unveils a trend of increased voter turnout among young people and students in the past several years, with 93% of post-secondary students reporting that they plan to vote in the upcoming federal election. Given that those from the Millennial and Gen Z generations (which make up the majority of post-secondary students) will be the largest voting group in the election, it is crucial that political parties pay careful attention to the issues they care about.
Students made their top priorities for Canada clear:
1. Creating good job opportunities for young Canadians
2. Making college and university more affordable
3. Dealing with climate change and the environment
4. Making housing more affordable
5. Improving Canada’s health care system
In addition to providing insights into where students’ current political leanings lie and the issues that will inform their vote, the report addresses other top student concerns. For instance, it sheds light on how concerned students feel about their student debt and the effects of automation on their future career prospects. It also delves into issues of sexual violence on campus and doing more to provide post-secondary education to Canada’s Indigenous population.
Adam Brown, Chair of CASA and Vice-President External of the University of Alberta Students’ Union, says, “CASA and student associations across Canada are developing a non-partisan voter mobilization campaign, called Get Out The Vote, to ensure as many students as possible get to the polls and have their voice heard in the upcoming federal election. Political parties would be wise to consider the power of the student vote and the concerns that are top-of-mind for this group.”

]]> https://www.voicemagazine.org/2019/06/21/students-are-voting/feed/ 0 28195 Students launch campaign urging voters to ‘Think Education’ https://www.voicemagazine.org/2004/06/02/students-launch-campaign-urging-voters-to-think-education/ Wed, 02 Jun 2004 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.voicemagazine.org/?p=2903 Read more »]]> OTTAWA, May 27, 2004 “? With the launch of a national campaign today, students from coast-to-coast will challenge voters and political candidates to prioritize post-secondary education in next month’s federal election. An initiative of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations, the ‘Think Education’ campaign also aims to promote youth participation in the electoral system.

“It’s time that we had a serious debate in this country on the current state and future of our post-secondary education system,” said James Kusie, National Director of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA). Ten years of cuts to transfer payments have resulted in the largest tuition increases in Canadian history and students expect commitments from all political parties on restoring funding for colleges and universities.

The focal point of ‘Think Education’ is an interactive website (www.thinkeducation.ca) designed to educate voters and provide them with the tools to get involved. The website will also serve as a resource for young people seeking information on the electoral process. Additionally, the campaign will feature newspaper and radio advertising, events in ridings across the country, and the release of two important reports on student poverty and youth engagement in the politics.

A distinctive feature of the campaign website is an interactive tool that allows parents to forecast the costs of their children’s education. Based on historical data from Statistics Canada, the cost calculator considers the province and program of study in its projections.

“When Canadians see what it will cost for their children to get a degree, they’ll demand that the federal government reinvest post-secondary education,” said Kusie. CASA is advocating for an increase of $3.9 billion in annual funding to colleges and universities through the creation of a dedicated transfer to the provinces for post-secondary, and the expansion of grants for students from low-income families.

CASA is a non-partisan, non-profit organization representing 19 student governments and nearly 300,000 college and university students from coast-to-coast.

Featured link: http://www.thinkeducation.ca

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