Dr. Swann: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday in the House the minister of advanced education said, “the base operating grants of every institution in this province [are] protected.”

This morning, however, it was revealed that by consolidating a series of separate grants, the government has effectively hidden a reduction in expected grant funding of $27 million to the University of Alberta. If the minister won’t give Albertans a straight answer, perhaps the Premier will. Students in postsecondary institutions have ridden this government boom-and-bust fiscal roller coaster for far too long. When is the Premier going to start treating postsecondary education as an investment by delivering a plan for stable, predictable funding?

Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, I understand that the Minister of Advanced Education and Technology has met with all of the postsecondary institutions and gave them good information on what to expect from this year’s budget. He is continuing to work with them to ensure that postsecondary education remains a priority for this government.

Dr. Swann: Mr. Speaker, this government’s incompetent management is close to creating a crisis in postsecondary education. Cutbacks and tuition hikes are not the solution. Why isn’t this government exploring constructive options such as low-interest loans for postsecondary institutions, that would allow them to maintain capacity as Alberta’s economy recovers?

Mr. Horner: Well, Mr. Speaker, I’d be more than happy to correct some of the gross errors in the preamble. Number one, the tuition increases this year are based on the CPI cap. We are maintaining that cap as an investment in this province’s future. Number two, the base operating grant for all of the postsecondary institutions in the province of Alberta for the past six years has gone up 42 per cent, and we protected that. That’s a great investment in the future of this province.

Dr. Swann: Mr. Speaker, this government has also eliminated targeted funding to high-demand programs which produce skilled workers. Alberta will need these workers as we emerge out of the recession. Is the Premier not concerned that in addition to running up a massive budget deficit, his legacy will be presiding over a massive skills deficit?

The Speaker: The hon. Deputy Premier.

Mr. Horner: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I’m not exactly sure where the hon. member is doing his research, other than perhaps the Edmonton Journal, which I would advise is probably not the best place to do his research given the fact that what he’s talking about is probably rumour as opposed to actual fact. The training part of it in terms of apprenticeship is based on the demand of the number of apprentices that are showing up at the postsecondary institutions. We have a very good handle on where that’s going, and this province does more training of apprentices per capita than any other province in the country.

Alberta Hansard, February 18, 2010

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