Despite a $3-million investment in research at York and at other universities, many believe the newly released federal budget does not address issues of real concern to students, like youth unemployment.
According to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, the budget, which includes a 10- year plan to invest in research at universities, will do little to help Canada’s struggling labour market.
In a press release, Armine Yalnizyan, senior economist for CCPA, said this is no time for small measures.
“The entire decline in youth unemployment from its worst in 2009 was due to jobless young people giving up their search, not finding a job,” said Yalnizyan.
“The 4,000 youth internships in this budget will have no substantive impact.” President and Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri, however, welcomes the additional $3 million in research funding York will receive, starting as early as the 2015-2016 fiscal year.
Following the release of the budget, Shoukri congratulated Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty in a letter on February 11.
In the letter, Shoukri pointed out a number of budget initiatives which specifically concern York, such as the $1.5 billion Canada First Research Excellence Fund.
Shoukri said this will enable the university to “attract and retain top research and innovation talent and maintain high levels of research excellence.”
Although Canadian universities can expect to receive additional funding, the federal government hasn’t outlined if it will allocate the funding among the universities or release specic criteria that will be used.
Dennis Pilon, an associate professor in the department of political science, says universities are always happy to hear about funding increases and special funding allowances.
However, Pilon argues, the excitement over which areas are getting funding distracts the public from areas which are being cut.
“The ?gures are so astronomically large, I think the average public really has little sense of what it means to have the kind of de?cit we have,” says Pilion.
“So without that information, I think it’s very hard for the public to make sense of these things.”
“The government is happy to re-announce infrastructure funding from previous budgets but what it isn’t telling you is [that] there
are $14 billion worth of previously announced spending cuts already built into this year’s budget,” said David Macdonald, senior economist at CCPA, in the press release.
“Canadians can expect to see more and deeper cuts to services and a sluggish economy as a result.”
Ryan Moore
Staff Writer
