Wall Announces Bold, New Tuition Rebate to Keep Young People in Saskatchewan
Rebates of Up To $20,000 in Tuition Costs For Post-Secondary Grads
Saskatchewan Party Leader Brad Wall has announced the most aggressive youth retention plan in Canada, designed to keep our young people in our province.
“Under the new Saskatchewan Graduate Retention Program, post-secondary graduates will be eligible for rebates of up to $20,000 in tuition costs, spread out over the first seven years after graduation,” Wall said.
The Saskatchewan Party’s $20,000 tuition rebate will provide a maximum benefit of nearly four times as more than the NDP’s Graduate Tax Exemption, which it would replace. The maximum total benefit under the NDP program is $5,500.
Smaller tuition rebates will also be available for graduates of diploma and certificate programs. The program will cost about $90 million over four years, increasing from $8.5 million in the first year to $39 million in year four. The governments of Manitoba and New Brunswick have both introduced similar programs, but they provide only a partial rebate of tuition costs.
Wall noted that since Lorne Calvert took office in 2001, Saskatchewan has lost over 35,000 people in net interprovincial outmigration – most of those young people.
“We need to be securing the future by doing more to keep our young people in Saskatchewan after graduation,” Wall said. “Keeping those young people here and providing them with meaningful careers once they graduate will be high priorities for a Saskatchewan Party government.”
Wall said a Saskatchewan Party government would also provide young entrepreneurs with a five-year annual personal income tax exemption of up to $10,000 in income earned from self-employment. This program would be designed to assist young people under the age of 30 who want to start a business in Saskatchewan.
The Saskatchewan Party would also designate $3 million annually for the creation of a Saskatchewan scholarship fund.
“The Saskatchewan Party has new ideas for keeping our young people in Saskatchewan,” Wall said. “Together with our new ideas for economic growth and job creation, Saskatchewan will be the best place in Canada for new grads to start their career.”
Background Information
To read more about the Saskatchewan Graduate Retention Program, click here.
For more information, Saskatchewan Party, Regina, 359-1638 or 1-800-966-9611.