Denise Savoie
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SAVOIE CALLS FOR REVERSAL OF TREASURY BOARD DECISION ON INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS
VICTORIA – NDP Critic for Post-secondary Education Denise Savoie is responding with deep concern to the news that funding for post-secondary education initiatives will be cut as of June 2007. “Funding for international academic programs and scholarships should be protected and enhanced, instead of cut,” says Savoie.
The $13.5 million in funding for these programs, which include the prestigious Fullbright scholarship, comes from the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. The Treasury Board recently announced that it would only continue funding these programs for another year.
“Prime Minister Harper must direct the Treasury Board to reverse its decision,” says Savoie. “This is incredibly short-sighted, given the crucial role such programs play in creating and enhancing relationships between Canada and the international community, including the United States.
“At the preliminary G-8 meeting on post-secondary education that I attended in Russia this May, Canada stressed the importance of international academic exchange programs, especially in this increasingly interconnected world,” recalls Savoie. “It’s unfortunate that the Conservatives are now reversing this position that they so recently endorsed.”