Students from a number of post-secondary institutions rallied today to protest tuition increases.

They marched from the University of Winnipeg to the Manitoba Legislative Building to protest Bill 31, which will allow schools to increase tuition by five per cent plus the rate of inflation starting in September 2018.

Opponents of the bill say tuition is already hard for some people to afford and these increases may make education unattainable for a large chunk of students.

“We know that a university degree is essential for even the most basic entry level jobs so making it less accessible for more students is the opposite of what we should be going for,” said Megan Linton, Vice President External Affairs for the University of Winnipeg Student’s Association. “University is a public right and we all deserve access to it no matter what our socioeconomic status is.”

Dele Ojewole, with the Canadian Federation of Students agrees, and says Bill 31 is a threat to the future of students.

“Five per cent might not be a lot but to some people in the middle and lower classes in this province it’s significant,” said Ojewole. “A lot of students are already working two to three jobs and now they might have to drop out of school or look for alternative funding.”

Nick Brown is a music student at the University of Brandon and the President of their student’s union.

“It’s the worst attack on students in 20 years in this province,” Brown said. “The average student comes out of university with $20,000 in debt this year and for someone like me who is working full time and taking a few courses I can barely afford my rent, food and tuition.”

“Increasing my tuition takes education out of my reach which means I won’t finish my degree, I won’t be able to take on a higher paying job and it will delay my economic success.”

The province has said in the past the tuition increase will help post-secondary schools deal with growing deficits and despite the increases, Manitoba’s tuition will still be the lowest in Canada. Committee hearings on the bill are ongoing.