Saskatchewan Party Leader Brad Wall is calling on the federal and provincial governments to adjust student loan regulations that act as a disincentive to students who want to work part time.

“I’ve talked to employers who say they can’t find student workers, and I think this is why.”

Page 9 of the Saskatchewan student loan handbook outlines this restriction:

“You will be expected to contribute 100 per cent of your net income after having deducted a $50 per week exemption. In addition to part time earnings, study period income may also include self-employment income and child support.”

“I’ve written the federal and provincial ministers responsible to outline how I think these regulations should change,” Wall said.

“If we allow our students to earn more, employers will have a larger pool to draw from and students will be in a better financial position when it comes time to repay their student loans.”

Wall said these are the kinds of regulations which should be reviewed regularly, and they would be reviewed regularly under the Enterprise Saskatchewan plan.

“That plan calls for employers, post-secondary institutions and unions to sit down together and find ways to reduce barriers to growth,” Wall said.

“The current labour shortage is a serious barrier to growth, and this kind of change is the kind of thing Enterprise Saskatchewan would routinely consider.”