Your Vote, Your Future: How Your Federal Candidates Plan to Support Students

A yellow Elections Canada sign stands outdoors by a stone wall, reminding voters to engage with federal candidates and support students in shaping the future.

We sent your local candidates in Waterloo for the Green Party, NDP, Liberal, and Conservative parties a list of questions to answer to see what their party’s view is on some of the issues most relevant to you!  

📌🗳️ You can vote on campus on April 13 from 12 PM – 6 PM or from April 14-16 from 9 AM – 9 PM in the SLC MPR or at University Club. Learn more about how you can vote at Have Your Say: How to Vote in the Federal Election. 

 

Here’s what they had to say about support for post-secondary students, jobs, housing, and economic opportunities.  

Note some responses have been edited for length or clarity. We reached out to the Conservative Party candidate several times by email and phone and did not hear a response by the deadline.  

What is your party’s plan to improve financial support for post-secondary students, including through loans, grants, and debt relief? 💰🪙

🟩 Simon Guthrie MSc MPACS, Green Party of Canada:

Education should open doors, not deepen debt. Our plan for financial support includes making college and university tuition-free, allowing students to focus on learning rather than worrying about loans. Additionally, by introducing a Guaranteed Livable Income, we’ll ensure students can meet their basic needs while studying.  

My experience in Waterloo’s vibrant academic community reinforces the need to reduce financial burdens and to build stronger, fairer communities where everyone has a chance to thrive. 

🟧 Dr. Héline Chow, New Democratic Party of Canada: 

Across Canada, students and their families are stressed about the rising cost of tuition. Young people are forced to take on mountains of debt to go to college or university that will take years to pay off. After their undergrad degree, a student with debt owes $28,000 on average. And with many young people working in precarious or low-paying jobs while trying to make rent or pay for necessities, it’s nearly impossible to focus on the future when paying off the past. 

 No young person should have to start out their life under a mountain of debt. That’s why the NDP is fighting to support young Canadians with student debt relief, working towards free tuition, and making sure the government isn’t choosing billion-dollar tax breaks for mega corporations over students trying to get an education. 

🟥 Bardish Chagger, Liberal Party of Canada: 

Although we will roll out more specifics about our plan over the course of the campaign, I can say at this moment that Mark Carney and a Liberal government are committed to ensuring our students have the best possible chance at success, by ensure life becomes more affordable, that our economy is as strong as it can be in these uncertainty time, and making sure we provide important investments in the jobs of tomorrow. 

What is your party’s plan to ensure students have equitable access to education and affordable housing, specifically in a high-demand student area like Waterloo? 🏡🏢

🟥 Bardish Chagger, Liberal Party of Canada: 

I know that one of the toughest challenges young people face is the cost of housing. We’ve already rolled out a real, comprehensive plan to make housing more affordable, including getting the government back in the business of building affordable homes, and cutting barriers that have made building housing–especially rental housing–more difficult and more expensive. 

🟧 Dr. Héline Chow, New Democratic Party of Canada: 

In Waterloo average rent prices have almost doubled in the last 10 years. Students in Waterloo are paying more and getting less with seemingly no relief on the horizon. Students shouldn’t have to decide between eating and paying rent all while they focus on their studies.  

The NDP is in it for renters – we’ll build more, lower prices, and protect renters by: 

  • Banning corporations from buying up homes that are still somewhat affordable. 
  • Banning renovictions and fixed-term leases. 
  • Cracking down on corporate landlords like Brookfield using AI to fix rent. 
  • Establishing national rent control. 
  • Banning rent price-fixing and landlord collusion. 
  • Establishing legal recognition of tenant unions. 

By decreasing the financial barriers to getting an education we can increase equitable access to education across Canada. 

🟩 Simon Guthrie MSc MPACS, Green Party of Canada: 

Housing is a human right. Yet today, the housing market is being treated like the stock market. Canada knows how to build good housing. We have the workers, the materials, and the know-how right here at home. What’s missing is government leadership. The Green Party will launch the biggest public housing construction program since the 1970s. We’ll create good local jobs. We’ll use Canadian materials. Most importantly, we’ll build homes that people can actually afford. We’ll also make sure housing built with public money stays affordable forever, eliminate the unfair tax advantages for Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and stop corporations from buying single-family homes. 

How will your party create jobs and expand economic opportunities for students and recent grads? 🎓💼🏗️

🟩 Simon Guthrie MSc MPACS, Green Party of Canada: 

The Green Party is committed to creating meaningful job opportunities and expanding economic prospects for students and recent graduates across Canada by investing in clean energy, housing, construction, healthcare, and research.  Building a modern, nationwide power grid and transitioning to 100% renewable energy will generate thousands of high-quality jobs, providing opportunities for students and recent grads. We plan to launch Canada’s largest public housing construction initiative since the 1970s, creating local jobs and using Canadian-sourced materials, and young professionals entering skilled trades and related fields.  

We’ll strengthen healthcare services by hiring and training more workers and expanding home care and community services, ultimately ensuring stable, rewarding careers for graduates in health professions and community support roles. We’ll also enhance research funding and attract global talent and increase mentorship opportunities, positioning Canadian graduates at the forefront of innovation and discovery.  

To promote economic fairness, which is vital for long-term prosperity, our transformative tax reforms include eliminating federal income tax on earnings under $40,000, directly benefiting many recent grads and entry-level workers. This change will put roughly $3,644 back into their pockets annually. Furthermore, we will close tax loopholes for large corporations, ensuring they contribute fairly to Canada’s collective resources. Our modernized, equitable tax system will bolster public investments, driving sustainable economic growth and expanded opportunities, creating a brighter, fairer future for Canada’s emerging workforce. 

🟥 Bardish Chagger, Liberal Party of Canada: 

By Canada Day, the Carney Liberal government is committed to removing provincial trade barriers, ensuring that Canada has one, and not 13 economies. This is important for recent graduates, as it will ensure that credentials earned in one province or territory can be taken anywhere in the country and be accepted. This will bring a new era of labour mobility, allowing our graduates the best possible chance at success anywhere in Canada. 

🟧 Dr. Héline Chow, New Democratic Party of Canada: 

Communities across Canada face severe infrastructure deficits, especially in housing—driving up home prices and rents. The government must launch an ambitious building plan, using public land and Canadian materials like steel to get shovels in the ground faster. 

Investing in infrastructure now will create jobs, stimulate the economy, and leave lasting assets in our communities. New Democrats would: 

  • Fast-track shovel-ready projects: roads, bridges, transit, health care, and community infrastructure. 
  • Increase investment in housing for families and first-time buyers. 
  • Launch an East-West clean energy grid. 
  • As companies lay off workers and scale back, the government must protect jobs—not cut public services. New Democrats would: 
  • Unite all levels of government, business, and labour to boost domestic manufacturing and resource processing. 
  • Support businesses to avoid layoffs and preserve manufacturing capacity. 
  • Invest in public services like health care, education, transit, and post-secondary training. 
  • Provide emergency income supports for vulnerable Canadians. 
  • Crack down on corporate price gouging. 
  • Expand trade with value-aligned countries and strengthen labour rights via a Labour Rights Council. 
  • Eliminate inter-provincial trade barriers. 
  • Ban U.S. owners from stripping assets from Canadian facilities. 

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You can learn more about each of their platforms by checking out their candidate pages.

Published: Wednesday, April 9, 2025

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