20th Anniversary of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations
Student representatives from the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) are gathered inOttawa to celebrate 20 years of successful federal advocacy and high quality research. CASA has had a tremendous impact on the post-secondary sector, establishing itself as the effective voice for student issues in Canada.
« For 20 years, our organization has maintained a member-driven approach, bringing student voices to the federal government and directly initiating change », said Maria-Hélèna Pacelli, Executive Director of CASA. « Our ability to remain non-partisan while representing a variety of different student groups has solidified our credibility and longevity ».
CASA has established itself as a driver in post-secondary education issues, leading important changes in student financial assistance while also becoming a chief advocate on student mental health and financial literacy. CASA’s major achievements for students include:
- Removing the in-study income exemption from the Canada Student Loans needs assessment process, ending the penalization of$116 million from working students;
- Implementing the Repayment Assistance Plan to support students struggling to repay their student loans, providing an estimated$783 million in loan relief since 2010;
- Increasing the proportion of needs-based grants from 50% to 95% of the funds distributed by the Canadian Millennium Scholarship Foundation, and supporting the Canada Student Grant Program which has disbursed a total of $2.5 billion in grants since 2009;
- Requiring all publicly funded research be available in Open Access format.
« In the world of student advocacy, 20 years is a momentous milestone. While we have much to celebrate, our members recognize additional work lies ahead in delivering tangible results to students while improving Canada’s post-secondary education », added Pacelli.
About CASA
Established in 1995, the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) is a non-partisan, not-for-profit national student organization composed of 22 student associations representing 256,000 post-secondary students from coast to coast. CASA advocates for a Canadian post-secondary education system that is accessible, affordable, innovative, and of the highest quality.
SOURCE Canadian Alliance of Student Associations 
For further information: Matthew Rios, Government and Stakeholder Relations Officer, Email: government@casa.ca, Office: 613-236-3457, Mobile: 902-300-2102