Post Secondary Education In Canada

We now get the larger part of our industrial growth not from more capital investment but from improvements in men and improvements brought about by highly improved men. “ –
JOHN KENNETH GALBRAITH, “The Liberal Hour”, 1960.
In the past decades, globalization along with the rapid advancement of technology produced a strong demand for highly educated and skilled labour force worldwide. In response to the changes in labour market environment the number of young Canadians who choose to attend college or university is constantly rising. Between 2000 and 2013, the post-secondary participation rate among working age population in Canada jumped from 42.8% to 53.9%, according to Statistics Canada Survey ( Statistics Canada, CANSIM table 282-0004, 2013

It is also Government’s responsibility to ensure barrier free public access to post-secondary education system; however, Canadian students enrolled in the post-secondary institutions are required to pay tuition fees. The increasing need for higher skilled labour supply has given rise to an ongoing debate whether the post-secondary education in Canada should also be tuition free.
In short, the answer is No. Tertiary education in Canada should not be tuition free. Unlike elementary and secondary education systems that are fully subsidised by the government, post-secondary education should be within the public reach but not 100% tuition free. Now, take a step back to analyze the

Public education level is one of the important indicators of economic development of any country. High quality schooling generates a better trained population and skilled workforce, which, in return, benefits the government and society as a whole. The mechanism works as a chain reaction: higher education transforms into skilled workforce; skilled workforce into increased productivity; increased productivity leads to lower unemployment rates and higher income; higher income means higher taxes collected by the government; higher taxes allow better funding of social programs. The final outcome is improved standards of living. A valid argument, since there are social and economic benefits associated with higher level of education it is also reasonable for the Canadian Government to invest in post-secondary education system. It is indeed in the interest of Canadian Government to ensure the best access to post-secondary education for all students regardless of their income