How does the federal budget apply to you(th)?
The federal budget was tabled in the House of Commons on March 22 and you may be wondering, “Does this budget actually affect my
access to post-secondary education or my job opportunities during and after my studies?”
Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Find yourself in this year’s budget by following the tracks below that apply to you!
Domestic Undergrad
The government has increased
the Canada Student Grant
amounts by 50%
Are you a
student
from a
low-income
family?
The maximum grant
you can receive
increased from
$2,000 to $3,000
and approximately
247,000 students
from low-income
families will benefit
from this change.
Are you a
part-time
student?
The maximum grant
you can receive has
been increased from
$1,200 to $1,800/
year.
Approximately
16,000 part-time
students will receive
more financial assis-
Student Parent
International Student
Are you an
Are you hoping to
international
apply for permanent
graduate student? residency?
Are you a
student
from a
middle-income
family?
The maximum grant you
can receive increased
from $800 to $1,200 and
nearly 100,000 students
will receive this
increased assistance.
Are you currently
not eligibile?
Starting in 2017, when applying
for a student loan or grant, the
student contribution portion,
which affects the level of funding
you will receive, will be a flat
amount for all students rather
than based on your, or your
family’s, income and financial
assets. This flat rate has not
been announced and will be
determined in consultation with
the provinces and territories.
The government has
increased the target
of permanent resident
admissions by 7% and
committed $56 million
over 3 years to support
this growth and ensure
faster processing.
Recent Graduate
Financial support
Depending on your
income, through the
new Canada Child
Benefit, you could
receive a maximum
annual benefit of up
to $6,400 per child
under the age of 6 and
up to $5,400 per child
between the ages of
6 and 17. Unlike the
current system, the
Canada Child Benefit is
tax-free and will be paid
monthly beginning in
Did you graduate with
student debt?
You will not have to
begin to repay your
Canada Student Loan
until you are earning at
least $25,000 per year.
Until then, through the
Repayment Assistance
Plan, the government
will cover the interest
owing on your student
loan.
July 2016.
Graduate Student
Are you a domestic
graduate student in a
research-based program?
Are you in STEM or
health sciences?
Are you in the social
sciences or humanities?
The Canadian Institutes
of Health Research (CIHR)
and the Natural Sciences
and Engineering Research
Council (NSERC) have each
received $30 million in new
annual funding.
Are you a new worker
or have you recently
re-entered the workforce and are looking to
apply for Employment
Insurance (EI)?
The Social Sciences
and Humanities
Research Council
received $16 million
in new annual
funding.
Do you conduct your
research in a run-down
lab or research facility?
Indigenous Student
Student Artist
The budget invests
$40 million this year
and $75 million in
2017 in the Canada
Council for the Arts
to support grants,
services and awards
to both professional
Canadian artists and
art organizations,
as well as through
scholarly awards.
Are you a full-time student
and looking to participate in a
research project with an
international industry partner?
Although over $8 billion in
spending for Indigenous
communities is laid out in the
budget, the Post-Secondary
Student Support Program
(PSSSP), a crucial
program for post-secondary
students, has been left out.
This budget does not lift the
2 per cent funding cap on
the PSSSP for Indigenous
students nor does it commit to
increased funding for the
program to ensure that students are not denied funding.
Moving forward, the
The government has
government has stated a
committed $2 billion
commitment to work with
over 3 years to enhance,
Childcare
students, parents, educators
modernize and improve
The government has made it easier for you to
and Indigenous groups to
the
environmental
Though the budget commits $500 million in apply for EI by removing the requirement that you
explore how to best ensure
sustainability of research
must work 910 hours before being eligible. Now
2017-18 to establish a National Framework
that Indigenous learners
facilities on Canadian
your eligibility requirement is the same as other
on Early Learning and Child Care, there is
can access post-secondary
people living in your region, which can range from campuses.
no clear vision as to how this government
education.
420 to 700 hours depending on where you live.
will ensure that childcare is affordable and
The
government
has
committed
$14
million
over
2 years
The government has also decreased the waiting
accessible across the country.
to the Mitacs’ Globalink program, which provides you
period to receive your EI benefits from 2 weeks to
with the opportunity to participate in a 16 to 24 week
1 week.
research project with an industry partner outside of
Canada. This funding will support 825 international and
domestic students and postdocs each year.
Will you be applying for Canada Student Loans and Grants for the 2017-18 academic year?
Starting in 2017, when applying for a student loan or grant, the student contribution portion, which affects the level of funding you will receive, will be a flat amount for all students rather than based
on your or your family’s income and financial assets. This flat rate has not been announced and will be determined in consultation with the provinces and territories.
Jobseeker
Are you a young person looking for job opportunities?
Are you a full-time student between the ages of 15 and 30 looking
for a summer job before returning to school in September?
The government is investing an additional $165.4 million in the Youth
Employment Strategy, which will provide you with more job opportunities. This money will be used to create new green jobs and job
opportunities in the heritage sector and increase your access to the Skills
Link Program, which helps make a better transition into the workforce.
CANADIAN FEDERATION OF STUDENTS
The government committed $339 million over 3 years to the
Canada Summer Jobs program, which will create 35,000 new
summer jobs each year, more than doubling the number of
job opportunities this program supports.
Are you a trades student?
Are you looking for a co-op opportunity while in school?
The budget will support high-quality
apprenticeship training by providing $85.4
Starting this year, the government has committed $73 million
million in additional funding over five years
over 4 years to support partnerships between employers and
to support union-based apprenticeship
post-secondary institutions to support new co-op
training. This funding will be used to
placements and work-integrated opportunities. You will be
better incorporate union involvement in
more likely to benefit from this initiative if you are a student
apprenticeship training, as well as improve
in science, the technology fields, engineering, math or business. equipment.
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