Horwath launches endstudentdebt.ca website to highlight the student debt crisis in Ontario

Today at Queen’s Park Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath launched a new website aimed at empowering young people to tell their stories of how student debt is affecting their lives.

Horwath was joined by young people from across Ontario for the launch where she reiterated the NDP’s promise to immediately remove the interest from Ontario student loans if the party forms government in 2018.

“This is a first step in addressing the crisis of student debt in Ontario and it is an important one,” said Horwath. “Seemingly insurmountable student debt delays important life milestones for young people such as buying a car, owning a home, starting a family or starting a business.  This makes student debt not only a burden for those who carry it, but on the provincial economy as a whole.”

The Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario strongly supports the NDP’s commitment to remove interest from Ontario student loans and is enthusiastic about the chance for young people to tell their stories.

“Students from across Ontario welcome the NDP’s decision to remove interest on provincial student loans. This is one of the demands of our Fight the Fees campaign that saw thousands of students across the province demand immediate action to address the student debt crisis,” said Rajean Hoilett, Chairperson of the CFS-Ontario. “We hope that this is the first step in realizing students vision for a high-quality system of college and university that is free of financial barriers and accessible to all.”

Ahmad Moussaoui, a 26 year-old resident of Windsor was one of the young people who joined Horwath in Toronto.  Moussaoui is the creator of an online petition calling for an end to student debt that has already received the support of 60,000 people.  He is excited about the chance to join with the NDP and raise the level of urgency of tackling student debt in Ontario.

“If I didn’t have my student debt, I could afford to live on my own and invest in growing my business, and maybe, eventually, I could buy a house,” said Moussaoui.  “Taking the interest off my student loan would definitely be an important first step in helping with my loan.  Thanks to Andrea and the NDP for helping young people raise awareness of this important issue through the new website.”

www.endstudentdebt.cais live today and will help the NDP fight for an end to student debt in Ontario by collecting stories from young people about how it is affecting them.