VICTORIES
With strength in numbers, working together as members of the Canadian Federation of Students and alongside our coalition partners and allies, students from coast to coast have won:
2017: OHIP+ Children and Youth Pharmacare Program which will make prescription medications free for all children and youth 24 years of age and younger with no upfront costs.
2017: $90 million in funding for Indigenous learners in the 2017 Federal Budget
2017: Improvements to Canada Students Grants for part-time students and adult learners with dependent children
2016: Undemocratic elements of the Fair Elections Act that sought to suppress young voters are repealed.
2016: A 50% increase to Canada Student Grants, bringing the maximum grants to $3,000 for low-income students, $1,200 for middle-income students and $1,800 for part-time students.
2016: A $95 million investment in public research through the Tri-Council Agencies.
2016: A $2 billion investment over three years to support research and infrastructure renewal.
2016: $165.4 million in additional funding for the Youth Employment Strategy.
2016: $339 million over three years to the Canada Summer Jobs program.
2016: The Ontario Student Grant, increasing Ontario students’ access to upfront non-repayable grants with no student receiving less than they were eligible for in prior existing grant programs.
2016: Legislation in Ontario that mandates all college and university administrations across the province adopt sexual assault policies, effective training and prevention programs, and offer services and supports for survivors that are available 24/7.
2015: The first-ever on-campus pilot project with special advanced polls on 28 campuses, for the Federal election, which over 70,000 students used to cast their ballot.
2014: The right for full-time international students to use their study permit to work off-campus, rather than requiring an off-campus work permit.
2013: Coverage of interns, co-ops and work term students under the Occupational Health and Safety Act of Ontario.
2013: Significant changes to tuition fee billing in Ontario, including an increase in the course threshold required to charge flat fees, the elimination of graduation fees and the ability to request tuition fee splitting (to a per-semester basis without incurring a fee.
2012: The adoption of the Copyright Modernization Act, which extends ‘fair use’ to include education as well as the introduction of a new inter-library loan provision.
2010: The defeat of the Government of Saskatchewan’s plan to withdraw funding and close First Nations University. FNU, a Federation member continues to thrive as the leading institution on Indigenous language and cultural education in the country.
2010: Faster processing times of international student visa applications through the implementation of the Electronic Notification Systems by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
2010: The Visa Exempt Study Permits from Abroad (VESPA), which allows some international students to apply online for off-campus and general work permits, as well as other visas and renewals.
2010: A 50% increase to scholarships available for graduate students through Ontario Graduate Scholarships.
2010: The launch of the “Back the Tap” campaign, resulting in nearly 30 campuses going bottled-water free to date.
2008: The first ever national system of needs-based grants is created.
2008: 500 additional Canada Graduate Scholarships are funded.
2008: The Post-Graduation Work Permit Program allows qualifying international students to obtain a three-year open work permit with no restrictions on the type of employment and no requirement for a job offer.
2007: The right of international students to work off-campus is secured.
2007: The exemption of all scholarships from income tax becomes policy.
2006: The first comprehensive study on the needs and experiences of Muslim students. The recommendations have been implemented on several campuses and included such issues as the need for women-only gym time, more diverse food options in cafeterias and policies that accommodate students’ religious observances.
2006: The recall of t-shirts made by Blue Notes Inc. that read “NO MEANS have aNOther drink” and Blue Notes’ sponsorship of Federation designed t-shirts to challenge rape culture.
2005: The reestablishment of a system of need-based grants in Ontario to replace the one that was cut in 1994.
2004: A tuition fees freeze in Ontario for two years.
2003: The reestablishment of Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) scholarships for Master’s students in the humanities and social sciences.
2003: The right of refugees to access Canada Student Loans Program (CSLP) is secured.
2003: Canadian Graduate Scholarships are created.
2001: The reduction of tuition fee increases from 10% to 2% in Ontario after years of double-digit increases.
2000: Greater regulations of the of the rape drug rephanyol is won.
1998: Grants for students with dependents begin to be offered.
1998: $2.5 billion allocated to post-secondary education primarily through needs-based scholarships, made available in 2000-2001.
1994: $20 million per year three years to address the backlog of Indigenous students denied student assistance as a result of the 1987 capping of funding for Indigenous education.
1994: Federal grants for students with disabilities, part-time students and women in non-traditional fields at the doctoral level are introduced.
1993: The elimination of a 3% tax on student loans.
1993: The Ontario governments plan to increase tuition fees by 50% is defeated.
1989: A federal government proposal to apply tax to tuition fees, campus residences and meal plans.
1988: The right of international students to work on campus, including for up to 1 year after they graduate is secured.
1988: The right of married spouses of international students to work in Canada is secured.