OTTAWA--The Government of Quebec has laid the groundwork for massive tuition fee increases and skyrocketing student debt-loads in the provincial budget released Tuesday."The government of Quebec had turned its back on students and their families," said Katherine Giroux-Bougard, National Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students. "Quebec's low tuition fees have built the foundation for its future economic success, but that will be undone if the government moves ahead with increases."

At less than $2,500 per year, tuition fees for Québec residents are the lowest in the country and less than half the national average of $4,917. As a result of historically low fees, students in Québec graduate with the lowest debt loads of any students in the country. It is estimated that 70% of jobs created today require a post-secondary education. Affordable tuition fees have given Québec the highest proportion of the population enrolled in a post-secondary program of any province.

"With the economy still reeling from the recession, Québec can't afford to make university unaffordable. We should be striving to get more students into school, not competing in a race to the bottom, " added Giroux-Bougard. "Charest needs to listen to Québec families, not a handful of university presidents."

In polling conducted this fall by Harris Decima on behalf of the Canadian Federation of Students, a full two-thirds of Québeckers believed that tuition fees should be kept at their current level, or reduced.

The Canadian Federation of Students is Canada's largest student organisation, uniting more that one-half million students in all ten provinces. The Canadian Federation of Students and its predecessor organisations have represented students in Canada since 1927.