The outcome of the Saskatchewan provincial election will have profound implications for all people in the province, especially students. The provincial government is responsible for numerous post-secondary education programs, including:

• Saskatchewan Student Aid Fund

• operating and capital funding for post-secondary institutions

• skills and apprenticeship training allowances

• Graduate Retention Program

• Saskatchewan Advantage Scholarship

• grants for skills training and apprenticeship for First Nations and Métis students

Outside of the classroom, the provincial government makes laws and policies governing other top-of-mind issues affecting students and their families, such as:

• affordable housing

• taxes

• public transit

• province-wide environmental and sustainability programs

• pollution and greenhouse gas emissions

• child care

• health care

The provincial government plays a key role in reducing tuition fees. The provincial legislatures regulate all college and university student fees directly. By investing adequate funding into Saskatchewan public post-secondary institutions, the government could eliminate tuition fee increases all together, such as the province of Newfoundland and Labrador where they have reduced or frozen tuition fees ever year since 2000.