CASA Welcomes Canada’s National AI Literacy Initiative Ottawa, ON, September 10, 2026— As post-secondary students return to campuses across Canada, CASA welcomes the development of a key element of the Government of Canada’s AI for All Strategy: the rolling out of a National AI Literacy Initiative. Post-secondary students will be some of the first to have access to training modules under this initiative.  CASA is optimistic about the skills that this initiative will provide to students that will allow them to thrive in an ever evolving labour market, and commends the federal government for giving students some of the first access to this training.  “Students rely on post-secondary education to provide them with the skills they need for the workforce. Having first access to AI training will allow them to thrive in a changing landscape, both within their post-secondary institutions and as they enter the job market," said Sabina Kapoor, CASA Chair. “CASA looks forward to seeing a National AI training initiative that equips students with the appropriate tools to responsibly use AI.”   -30-   About CASA         Established in 1995, the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations is a non-partisan, not-for-profit national student organization composed of 26 student associations across the country. Through our partnership with the Quebec Student Union/Union étudiante du Québec, CASA represents 365,000 post-secondary students across Canada.    CONTACT INFORMATION: Canadian Alliance of Student Associations Mariam Trifess Communications & Public Relations Officer Email: [email protected]

38% of students in Canada skipped meals to save money last semester. Across the country, many are having to make unacceptable sacrifices to make ends meet.  This is one of the findings from "Breaking the Piggy-Bank", our new report in partnership with Abacus Data, based on our annual survey of post-secondary students in Canada. The student affordability crisis continues, with the percentage of students having experienced homelessness doubling since 2024, an increase in food bank use, and nearly 3 in 4 students having to work during the school year to stay afloat. While these findings already offer a concerning window into student financial hardship, the part that policymakers should pay attention to is that students haven't lost ambition: 85% are looking forward to finding work in their field, and 65% want to start or own a business someday. Students are still betting on their own futures, but the continued vulnerability to the affordability crisis and the lack of financial support stand in their way.  CASA sees these findings as evidence that the federal government should treat the extension on the Canada Student Financial Assistance programs as infrastructure, rather than a temporary measure to renew year after year, with permanent reliable funding to Canada Student Grants and Loans, and a renewed investment in the Post-Secondary Student Support Program to close the gap for Indigenous students.  Read the full report: Link to report

CASA has been advocating for students since the 1990s, and here is a selection of what CASA has accomplished prior to 2020. CASA continues to work to protect the advocacy wins students have won in the past, and get new ones for the future. Budgets in 2023 and 2024 gave us a wide range of funding investments, some preserving old CASA wins, and some representing new funding.