The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) held their annual Advocacy Week the last week of November. The 22-member alliance, along with its partner organization, the UEQ, and some observing associations, met with more 150 Members of Parliament and Senators voicing the needs of all Canadian post-secondary students.

“Advocacy Week is an effective way to create beneficial change for students,” said Reed Larsen, Vice President (External). “When students from across Canada are sitting with these politicians, the diversity of schools represented adds strength to our asks.”

While the Government of Canada does not control tuition, federal program such as the Canada Student Loan Program and the Copyright Act, governing fair use, have significant impacts on students.

This year CASA advocated for additional funding to be spent on the Post Secondary Student Support Program (PSSSP), a program that provides funding for Indigenous Learners. These funds are provided to bands that then determine who they fund and how much they receive.

“The funding for PSSSP simply has not kept pace with population growth and inflation,” said Students' Union President Marina Banister. “First Nation communities are being forced to decide if they should fully fund some students or partially fund all of them. CASA is echoing the Assembly of First Nations with this request. We are adding our voice to a growing chorus calling for this change.”

Co-op work permits for International students was a topic of discussion that caught the attention of a number of MPs. Currently International students must apply for a separate work permit if their program has a work placement or co-op term. While the application is free, the three-month processing time can cause problems for applicants.

“Granting all International students a co-op/work placement permit with their study permit would not create additional costs, nor forego revenue for, the Government,” stated Larsen. “This change will not open the doors for International students to work anywhere, but will remove redundant work for both the student and the government. This is part of their studies, it should be covered.”

CASA was also requesting a new program, administered by the Tri-Agencies, be created that would fund faculty and grad students to develop open source textbooks that any student could use at a low to no cost.

“The basics of Chemistry or Economics or Art History are the same regardless of where you study, and often introductory classes are virtually identical in content,” Banister explained. “A similar program of open shared textbook is currently used in British Columbia and has saved students $4 million since 2012. We should have this nation-wide.”

CASA represents students from Colleges, Technical Institutes, and Universities – both undergrad and graduate students – from eight provinces across Canada. A copy of the Advocacy documents can be found in both French and English.