Students at the University of Saskatchewan are feeling the pinch as the cost of living continues to rise.  

NDP Deputy Leader Vicki Mowat was joined by USask student Brooke Barber, who says living at home and working two part-time jobs is the only way she can afford tuition, textbooks, and transportation.

“We’re always given this certain image of a bright future with a great education that’s going to lead to these amazing careers; this big, bright wonderful life. Financially, we don’t have the support to do that.”

Barber also happens to be the ‘s Constituency Assistant of NDP Saskatoon Southeast MLA Brittany Senger.

Another student, Angelica Quito, says getting to school is another pricy problem of its own.  

“I know a lot of students forgo getting the parking pass on campus, just because it’s not the best benefit for them, especially with the new traffic stuff they’ve added at campus. Why pay all that money to be late to class anyway?”

Mowat adds that tuition in Saskatchewan has doubled over the last 20 years and is now double the Canadian national average.  

“Tuition for students (in Saskatchewan) is twice as high as the Canadian national average. Our minimum wage does not keep pace with that. The cost of living is very high, and we are not setting people up for success.”

The NDP will be introducing six affordability bills Monday afternoon in the legislature. These include legislation to bring in rent control, to ban AI price gouging, and to remove the PST on groceries, all measures which have already been turned down by the current provincial government.