BC is in the midst of an economic downturn resulting from the COVID–19 global pandemic. Entire sectors of the economy have shut down or minimized operations, and it could be some time before they are running at their pre-February 2020 capacity. In times like these, education is a crucial tool that governments have used to spur economic recovery by training or re-training those who lost their jobs and are seeking new employment.

On October 22 to 24, representatives from the Federation’s member students’ unions will be in Victoria meeting with MLAs from all parties. We will be joined by representatives from the Simon Fraser Student Society and the UBC Alma Mater Society (UBC Vancouver’s students’ union). In these meetings we will discuss issues on our campuses and solutions that we have identified at the provincial government level.

Young voters are turning out at the polls in strong numbers. In 2015, 57.1% of 18-24 year-olds turned out to vote -- a record-breaking 18 percentage point increase from the 2011 election. The youth vote can't be ignored.

Making post-secondary education affordable and accessible to all falls directly in line with the three key commitments the current government has made to British Columbians: to make life more affordable; to deliver services that people count on; and to build a strong, sustainable, innovative economy that works for everyone. Enacting students' priorities for Budget 2020 will help the government keep its commitments to British Columbians.

The Federation has advocated for the rise of the minimum wage to $15, has submitted recommendations for changes to the Employment Standards Act, and has now also provided recommendations on ways to begin addressing the discrepancy between the minimum wage and a living wage in BC.

Budget 2019, entitled Investing in the Middle Class, was released by the Federal Government on March 19, 2019. The Budget makes a series of targeted, relatively small investments in a series of post-secondary related targets, such as workers in training, Indigenous education, research funding, and reducing interest on student loans. Overall there are several items for students to celebrate, as the investments bring some relief to several demographics of students.

On October 29 to 31, representatives from the Federation's member students' unions will be meeting in Victoria with MLAs from all parties. In these meetings we will discuss issues on our campuses and solutions that we have identified at the provincial government level.

Making post-secondary education affordable and accessible to all falls directly in line with the three key commitments the current government has made to British Columbians: to make life more affordable; to deliver services that people count on; and to build a strong, sustainable, innovative economy that works for everyone.

Post-secondary education is a natural fit in a conversation about investing in the future of Canada’s economy. The current era of rapidly shifting labour market demands, global competition for high- quality education and top academic achievers, and new technologies in infrastructure/building sectors makes a well-educated population key to Canada’s success.