David Lipson
Senior Reporter

The decision by Governor General Michaelle Jean to suspend Parliament for six weeks has left student lobby groups fuming.  
“We don’t have functioning government for the next seven weeks and we’re in the midst of one of the most severe economic crises that this country has seen in decades,” said Shelley Melanson, Ontario chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students. “It’s pretty shameful that we find ourselves in a circumstance where there can be no movement.”
Parliament was prorogued, or suspended on Dec. 4 after Prime Minister Stephen Harper made the request to do so in order to avoid a no-confidence vote that could have seen his government toppled by a Liberal-NDP coalition opposed to his Nov. 27 economic update.
The CFS passed a motion to reject the update. “There was no reference to increase funding for post-secondary education which is a critical investment to be making in the context of an economic downturn or recession,” Melanson said.
Government investments in college education bring a 15.9 per cent rate of return, according to a 2008 study by the Association of Canadian Community Colleges.
“Education is key and that investment must be continued into the future,” said Tyler Charlebois, College Student Alliance director of advocacy. “It’s very hard for us to make that case when the federal government and political parties aren’t there to participate and listen to the concerns and issue that are being felt by students.”
Linda Franklin, the president of Colleges Ontario, an association of Ontario’s 24 colleges, said her group’s major concern is to make sure colleges are still able to provide the services to students through tough economic times.
“Lots of institutions like colleges are dependent on the government working together and tackling this issue in a way that’s productive as possible,” she said.