Trudeau visits Ford’s backyard to promise cost relief for students and bash premier

MISSISSAUGA — Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau travelled to the heart of Doug Ford country on Sunday, promising armloads of Liberal government largesse to university students in hopes of tapping into deep-seated anger over the Ontario premier’s cuts to education.

A re-elected Liberal government would increase student grants by 40 per cent and give new graduates two years to begin paying back their student loans, instead of the current six months, Trudeau said on a day when his party was choosing to lean in to its tax-and-spend, deep-deficit reputation.

“When I visit colleges and universities, or host town halls across Canada, the cost of education, and the debt that follows, are always top of mind,” Trudeau told students at the University of Toronto’s westend Mississauga campus.

“Young Canadians heading off to school should be excited about embarking on this new journey but are instead losing sleep, racking their brains over how to pay for it.”

Recent graduates wouldn’t have to start repaying student loans until they are earning at least $35,000 — up from the current $25,000 threshold — even if it has been more than two years since they finished school, Trudeau said. New parents would be able to pause student loan repayments until their youngest child turns five, without accruing interest.

The Liberals peg the cost of those measures at $280 million in 2020-21, increasing to $1.4 billion in 2023-24.

Trudeau repeatedly referenced Ontario Premier Doug Ford in his remarks. The Liberal leader has for months been trying to tie federal Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer to Ford, whose popularity is waning, but Trudeau’s Ford namedropping has picked up in recent days, especially at campaign events in Ontario.

“Education matters to young people across the country, of course, but it’s especially top of mind here in Ontario, as Doug Ford slashes education funding and makes it near impossible to pay for tuition,” he said.

For post-secondary students, Ontario brought in a 10 per cent tuition cut, but it also cut loan and grant amounts, leaving many students struggling to pay for school.