I am so sick and tired of the marginalization of post secondary education in Canada. Tuition fees have increased exponentially every single year since the early 1990s and it is at the point where it is impossible for anyone who wasn't born with a silver spoon in their mouth to get an education without accruing debt that is equivalent to the down payment on a mortgage. The average Canadian student today graduates with $20,000 worth of debt, and that number is rising. Keep in mind also that the calculation of this "average" includes students whose parents or scholarships have paid their way through. The actual debt of most students who do not receive this kind of help is closer to $40-50,000. I personally am only half way done my undergrad and I am already almost $20,000 in the hole - and this is with me working full time each summer, earning just enough to pay down my private bank credit line. I pay about $6,000 a year in tuition fees, plus about $500 per semester ($1,000/yr) on overpriced textbooks and student union dues, facility maintenance fees, and etc.
To make matters even worse for students, the amount of government student loans is being capped at $4,700 per semester, or $9,400 per year. This is enough to cover tuition and textbooks with barely anything left over for living costs such as food which, of course, is on the rise. This forces students who are already borrowing from the government to borrow heavily from private banks as well. I have a $10,000 credit line that I use to cover my costs once my student loans run out. I pay 5% interest on this credit line, costing me an extra $500+ per year. This means that, at the end of a four year undergrad, I will have paid over $2000 in interest alone. Upon graduation I have 6 months to pay down my government student loans before they begin to accrue interest.
This is ridiculous.
Education is the backbone of a modern country but continues to become more and more inaccessible as time goes on. I fear that by the time my friends' children are ready to go off to university that vast majority will be unable to do so - unless something changes.

Sorry for the rant but I am so bloody frustrated and I just found out today (without any surprise) that tuition is going up another 4-8% next year across the country, again, after already having risen about 8% last year. I am so sick of being forced into poverty for want of an education and a bright future....