Higher learning

CanWest reports that at least one federal party found time to deal with some substantive policies in the middle of today's spin and machinations, as the NDP's Denise Savoie was putting forward a bill on federal post-secondary education funding:

The New Democrats are calling on the Conservative government to make good on an election promise to replace all-purpose federal transfer payments for social programs with dedicated funding for colleges and universities.

The call to divide the Canada Social Transfer into two components so provinces receive dedicated cash for higher education is the central plank of the NDP's proposed Canada Post-Secondary Education Act, tabled in the House of Commons on Monday.

The Conservative 2006 election platform promised to create an independent Canada Post-Secondary Education and Training Transfer, but the Tory government has yet to follow through on the commitment.

The NDP will be using "every lever and pressure point in Parliament" to make sure it happens, the party's education critic Denise Savoie said in unveiling the new legislation.

Modelled on the Canada Health Act, the education act guarantees accountable, stable federal transfers for post-secondary education, and enshrines in federal law the principles of public administration, accessibility and quality...

The proposed post-secondary education act has won the backing of major education groups, including the Canadian Association of University Teachers and the Canadian Federation of Students.

"As the Conservative government ponders fiscal balance, I would urge them to consider that the previous government took out, to pay down the deficit, a huge loan from Canadian students and it's now payback time. And the Post-Secondary Education Act is the first step in that process," said Savoie.

Of course, it's unlikely that the Cons would have intended their promise to lead to a bill such as Savoie's. After all, they're apparently entirely unwilling to enforce federal standards under existing legislation - which means that new standards on education aren't likely to have much practical effect as long as the Cons are in power.

But for the longer term, it only makes sense both to clearly set out what federal funding is intended for post-secondary education, and to apply explicit principles to the use of that money. And it's a plus to see the NDP putting the issue front and centre in Parliament to push for progress.