Green party leader Elizabeth May arrives in Guelph

Green party leader Elizabeth May landed on the steps of Raithby house at the University of Guelph on Sept. 16, 2015 to unveil new plans and highlights aimed at reducing student debt and the cost of tuition.
Standing side-by-side with several Green party candidates, students, and representatives from the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS), May explained how her party will deal with student debt and youth unemployment.
“No student in Canada should end their education carrying more than $10,000 student debt,” said May. “That’s our commitment not just to students who are in university now who are just beginning to accumulate that debt—that’s our commitment for future and for existing students. Anyone who is carrying student debt above $10,000 we will act in government to bring your debt down to more than $10,000.” Following May’s prepared speech, she explained that the debt reduction would be in regards to the federal portion of student debt. She further added that both the goal of student debt reduction and no cost tuition would have to be sought in collaboration with provincial and territorial governments. Post-secondary education has been under provincial jurisdiction since confederation.
“The reality of our relationship federally provincially is that it has never been as it is right now,” said May. “Now, we need to have a conversation about rebuilding what we once had, which is high quality education…We [need to] sit down [as] federal government, provinces, university leadership, and colleges, and say, ‘Do we all agree that we are on a slippery slope that makes no sense?’”
Debt and the elimination of tuition were not the only student issues that were discussed. May spoke to creating a national community and environment science corps which aims to provide $1 billion a year to municipalities to hire Canadian youth. In conjunction with adding jobs through this program the Green party also plans on eliminating unpaid internships.
“It really should not be something that governments ignore when our young people are facing unacceptable levels of stress leading to mental health issues, leading to depression graduating with an average of $25,000 of student debt,” said May. “ Ignoring the life changes of young people and assuming it will all be okay because we in the boomer generation had it good and it’s just your tough luck you didn’t get born when we did—no political party should find this acceptable.” May encouraged the students present to vote and further addressed the fact that younger voters typically fail to cast a ballot.
“Why are young people’s issues ignored?” asked May. “I hate to tell you why—it’s not an open secret, it’s a dirty secret—you haven’t been voting. The truth is, when young people start voting, start participating in the choices of what government you want to see, you will change politics, you will change democracy, you will change parliament, and you will change Canada for good, which I mean for the better and for good, by which I mean forever.”
On Sept. 15, 2015, before the Guelph Conference, May opened up for an interview with The Ontarion to discuss strategic voting. In the brief time spent with May, the issue of strategic voting was discussed.
“The problem is that with strategic voting is that it tends to drive down voter turnout, because what it communicates to people, no matter how well intentioned it might be is that you can’t vote for what you want.” said May. “Fear based voting can’t be good in a democracy. The mania about vote splitting ignores the fact that our biggest problem isn’t vote splitting, [..] if you fixate on the numbers of votes cast, ignore the fact the single largest voting bloc in Canada is the people that don’t vote, you’re really missing an important part of the solution. […] I’m much more comfortable with a strategy that says we need to increase voter turnout.”