(VANCOUVER, BC) - While the Alliance of BC Students welcomes new measures announced by the federal government in today’s Economic Statement to support students and young people during the pandemic, more measures are urgently needed to mitigate the dire economic circumstances that students and young people are facing due to COVID-19.

In addition to investing 1.3 billion dollars into youth employment strategies and jobs training for equity-seeking communities, the federal government also announced the elimination of interest on federal student loans for 2021-2022. The Alliance also hopes to see more attention paid to mature and international students, who are not eligible for many of the employment and training strategies announced today.

“We’re incredibly pleased to see that interest on federal student loans is being eliminated for the next year, and that the government is committed to addressing the unemployment students are experiencing," said Grace Dupasquier, the Chairperson of the Alliance of BC Students. “Students are facing exceptional challenges due to the pandemic, from the immediate struggles of job losses, to the precariousness of their long term wellbeing.”

The Economic Statement includes many other measures designed to mitigate the impacts the pandemic has had on equity-seeking communities more broadly, as the challenges faced by Canadians have been unevenly borne. The Alliance hopes to continue seeing robust, multi-tiered supports to build long-term resilience and prosperity included in both provincial and federal recovery measures.

“We hope to see long term commitments to removing barriers to accessing post-secondary education and creating stronger supports for those who need them most,” continued Dupasquier. “These challenges existed before the pandemic began, but they have been magnified by the public health emergency.”