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This is an example of the begging the question fallacy. Tuition fees in Alberta aren't that low, and the only reason why they're lower than some now is because the Notley government acted to keep fees from continuing to rise faster than inflation https://twitter.com/edmontonjournal/status/1307139492835405825
Looking at fees across Canada, you can easily see where freezes were introduced, and where they weren't https://www.univcan.ca/universities/facts-and-stats/tuition-fees-by-university/
For history (and having been in the room as a student rep when the Kristin government was drafting the PSLA) let's be very clear: until Notley, ALL GOVERNMENTS in Alberta saw post-secondary as a high fee model.
When we observed supports were designed to always lag, often a lot, behind fees, we were met with a shrug. When we presented evidence to show high fees were a major EDI issue, shrug. No care here, so no policy to reflect these issues, either
but HOLY you should have heard the then-Minister rage about how much doctors and lawyers make. The current attack of physicians for pay has deep roots in Alberta.
The message was clear: Klein & co thought education ONLY has private, individual benefits. The public, collective benefit was rejected then, and it's being rejected now.
I would not let the Notley government's ability to better read the data/evidence re: education's broader benefits affect how we talk about how conservative governments in Alberta approach this issue, and that's what framing Alberta as "low fee" does
