Student debt and the Afghan war were hot topics in a recent political public discussion at Fanshawe.

Irene Mathyssen, New Democratic Party (NDP) Member of Parliament (MP) in the London-Fanshawe riding, spoke to Fanshawe College students over the lunch hour on Wednesday, November 15. Mathyssen spoke about issues that concerned students, and also fielded questions from students in an open forum, town-hall-style format.

Mathyssen praised Fanshawe College and it's students throughout her discussion, saying that they are vital to the growth of the city and country.

“The skills, and expertise of college students is truly appreciated and vital to the future of the nation,” Mathyssen said. “The life within these buildings is a testimony for why Fanshawe College is truly an important part of the community.”

Mathyssen went on to say that she felt honoured to be given the opportunity to speak with the students of Fanshawe.

“I am privileged to be here,” Mathyssen said. “I have an affinity to Fanshawe College. It's always a very welcoming and good experience to be here. It [Fanshawe College] is very important to the community.”

Mathyssen encourages students to contact the local NDP office in London if they had any questions or concerns.

“It is important to engaged students,” Mathyssen said. “It should be an obligation for parties to build dialogue with students. It was a goal of mine when elected as MP to have the best, most accessible, and most open office that this area has seen.”

Looking to utilize her power and influence in Ottawa, Mathyssen said that she would recommend to the House of Commons that polling stations be placed on Fanshawe's campus for the next provincial and federal elections, in hopes of raising voter turnout for students.

The main issue during the open-forum meeting was regarding the cost of post-secondary education.

Mathyssen said student debt reduction is a priority for the NDP, as they wish to invest $4 billion annually to post-secondary education.

“The federal government needs to invest more,” Mathyssen said. “Students should not be paying an increasing rate and the debt burdens are unacceptable. Many things are being deferred including buying homes, building families, and investing in businesses.”

Mathyssen outlined three ways the NDP hopes to reduce post-secondary student debt including; introducing more non-repayable grants, freezing and eventually reducing tuition fees, and also giving better access to loans.

“OSAP (Ontario Student Assistance Program) should not be a barrier,” Mathyssen said. “Students are the future leaders, they will be running this country, so we need them to stay and make a contribution.”

Mathyssen touched on other topics throughout her discussion, including issues on the environment, social funding, and the war in Afghanistan.

Calling the mission in Afghanistan “bizarre,” Mathyssen said the NDP initially supported Canada's involvement in the war, as Canadians were involved in peace-keeping endeavors, but since the strategy was shifted to a “search and kill” mission, the NDP have changed their view.

“The peace keeping mission initially was very positive. Canadians are now the enemy over there as they are going from village to village on a search and kill mission, where many innocent people die,” Mathyssen said. “[The NDP] want to remove our troops out of combat and we want that to be our focus.”

Mathyssen's local NDP office is located at 1700-D Dundas St. in London. She can be reached by phone at (519) 685-4745, fax (519) 685-1462, and email Mathyssen.I@parl.gc.ca, or visit her website at http://www.irenemathyssen.ca/.