For an advocacy group in Ottawa, CASA has achieved remarkable success in its 15 years of work on behalf of Canada’s students. This document outlines our membership growth, our policy successes, and our recent government relations successes that are laying the groundwork for more opportunities in the next 15 years.
An Organization with Momentum
Since its inception in 1995, CASA has had rises and falls in its membership but there is a clear record of growth.
Our “easy-in, easy-out” process where members can join or leave according to their own by-laws over two years has created a dynamic membership that requires CASA to constantly adjust and ensure that the student and the student association is being adequately served by the organization.
Currently we have 26 member associations, with another 2 that observe our conferences and are in the process of reviewing our organization.
But what do those student associations represent? CASA currently has almost the highest number of students at its member schools that it has ever had. Our student associations represent over 320,000 students, and through our partnerships with provincial student groups, we collectively represent over 600,000 students across Canada.
The Best Investment a Student Association Can Make
Between 1999 and now, Liberal and Conservative governments in Ottawa have implemented programs and spending lobbied for by CASA, causing over $13 billion to have flowed to students by the end of this fiscal year.
Below is an accounting of all of these policy successes but what is remarkable is how little Canadian students have had to pay. Compared with companies paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to get small, regulatory changes implemented, CASA has accomplished a lot with a cumulative budget in the last ten years of only $4.5 million.
CASA constantly develops partnerships with other education stakeholders including the Association of Universities and Colleges in Canada, the Association of Community Colleges of Canada, the Canadian Association of Graduate Studies, the Assembly of First Nations, provincial student groups, groups for students with disabilities, and others. Our partnerships are a key to our success and they also deserve credit for their work on these files.
1. Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation (CMSF)
In 1998, CASA advocated for an increase to needs-based, non-repayable grants. As a result, the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation (CMSF), was changed from being 50/50 merit-based and needs-based, to 95% needs-based and only 5% merit-based.
The increase of funding as requested by CASA totaled 45% of the increase to non-repayable grant funding delivered by the CMSF over the next decade.
From 2000 to 2008, the CMSF has delivered $320 million in non-repayable grants. Of that amount, $144 million has been as a result of CASA’s advocacy efforts.
2. Scholarship Tax Credit
The Scholarship Tax Credit which was first advocated by CASA in the 1998 Lobby Document has since given $308 million back to students. Of that amount, $235 million can be attributed to the recommendations made by CASA.
3. Textbook Tax Credit
A proposal for a Textbook Tax Credit was introduced in CASA’s 1997 Lobby Document. Since 2006, $406 million has been returned to Canadian students as a result of the Textbook Tax Credit. In keeping with CASA’s belief that the costs of education are not solely tuition based, this textbook tax credit has allowed financial relief to students struggling to pay for their education.
4. Canada Education Savings Grant
The Canada Education Savings Grant was first proposed in the 1997 CASA lobby document. Every year for the past decade, the Canada Education Savings Grant has provided $56.4 million for students.
5. Knowledge Infrastructure Program
The Knowledge Infrastructure Program has openly acknowledged CASA’s influence in the creation and continued funding of the program. On the Knowledge Infrastructure Program’s website, the government says the program “responds to the needs of students as identified by the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations.”
In the 2005 lobby document, CASA advocated for additional Accumulated Deferred Maintenance funding. The Paul Martin government responded with $1 billion being injected into ADM funding for 2006. In the 2009 Federal Budget an additional $2 billion was allocated over the course of the following two years (09/10).
6. Repayment Assistance Plan
CASA began advocating for interest relief and debt repayment assistance in the 1999 lobby document. Having identified repayment assistance as an area of high need, CASA worked to ensure that government would create the programs.
The Repayment Assistance Plan (and its predecessor programs, Interest Relief and Debt-Reduction-in-Repayment) has provided $1,141,200,000 in financial assistance to those struggling to repay their student loans. As a result of the plan, those students who qualify for the program are able to avoid defaulting and bankruptcy, while continuing to contribute to Canada’s economy in a meaningful way.
Now that the government has brought in the plan, CASA has been vigilant in advocating for a simple, online application process. The submission of the application form is still paper, however CASA continues to lobby for a full online application.
7. Canada Student Grants
Since 1999, the federal government has delivered $1,665,400,000 in student grants, including Canada Study Grants, Canada Access Grants, and the new Canada Student Grants Program. CASA has been advocating for increased grants since the 1998 lobby document. In the 2004 lobby document, CASA continued to advocate for increased “Canada Access Grants” aimed at helping those who were most in need and in 2007 advocated for a renewal of funding for the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation with a greater focus on income-based grants, which is the basis of the Canada Student Grants Program.
8. Canada Social Transfer
CASA has been advocating for a dedicated transfer for post-secondary education since the birth of the organization in 1995.
In the 2007 Federal Budget, $800 million increase to the Canada Social Transfer was targeted towards post-secondary education. This additional funding was set to be delivered in 2009 and then increased to $897 million in 2010. The gradual recognition of the need for this funding and progress towards a dedicated transfer has been a huge win for CASA.
9. Indirect Costs
In the 2001 Pre-Budget Submission, CASA advocated for further investment toward indirect costs of research in order to strengthen Canada’s research capacity as part of its innovation agenda. Funding has totaled $2,395,300,000 for the three granting councils.
10. Copyright
Prior to last summer, only one post-secondary education stakeholder had ever been consulted on amending copyright legislature. Since last June, CASA has successfully lobbied the federal government to hold public consultations and was invited by the Ministers of Canadian Heritage and Industry to three roundtable meetings, one of the highest participation rates from any post-secondary education stakeholder. Further, at the request of both Ministers, CASA has submitted a formal written recommendation on copyright amendment.
11. Creating Pan-Canadian Data Set
Since November 2007, when CASA adopted a policy on creating a pan-Canadian data set – to date CASA is the only student lobby organization to do so – our organization has successfully lobbied the federal government to initiate a serious process aimed at creating a pan-Canadian data set. This process has included multiple consultations with CASA, and has incorporated many of CASA recommendations into their working plan.
Looking ahead…
With CASA’s access top policy and decision-makers, the media, the public and a wide cross-section of students, we will continue to advocate for an accessible, affordable and high quality post-secondary education system. Below are substantial indicators to suggest our success will continue.
- CASA met with Prime Minister Stephen Harper as well other Conservative Ministers, and the Leader of the Opposition, Michael Ignatieff in the House of Commons plus Bloc Quebecois Leader, Gilles Duceppe during our 2010 Lobbying Conference.
- CASA is one of only 12 organizations that lobbied Prime Minister Stephen Harper more than once between 2008 and 2010.
- CASA was an invited guest of the Canada at 150 Liberal Conference in March, 2010 in Montreal.
- The Prime Minister’s Office and the Office of the Leader of the Opposition regularly ask CASA to consult on policy proposals and platform development.
- The Canada Student Loans Program has begun to rely on CASA in the last year for regulatory and program analysis outside of the normal consultative groups, such as the National Advisory Group on Student Financial Assistance.
- The public service has informed CASA that we will be collaborative partners in the development of the new bill to reform the Copyright Act.
- We have received promise from the federal government that they will remove the book importation regulation.
- CASA was asked to participate in the creation of the Green Party PSE Platform.
- CASA member schools have a contact person at Elections Canada dedicated to ensuring smooth voter registration and balloting by students. CASA schools will also be used as test sites for an online registration and voting scheme to be introduced by Elections Canada over the next few years.
These are only examples of government relations successes that could pay dividends in the future but CASA has confidence that, with the continued support of our member associations and others that are attracted to our structure and approach, we can successfully capitalize on the opportunities that are presented to us.
