Chants resounded loudly from students and their allies at Education is a Right rallies organized by the Canadian Federation of Students in cities across Canada Feb. 1.

The CFS national day of action was part of the campaign launched last year in a bid for a dedicated federal transfer established through a Post-Secondary Education Act that would provide increased funding for post-secondary education, help reduce student debt and lower tuition fees.

“There is a major problem with how we fund post-secondary education in this country and it’s time to do something about it,” CFS national chairperson Roxanne Dubois told the large crowd at Parliament Hill in Ottawa. “The fight for public education in Canada is part of a global effort to protect education as a basic right for all.”

Since 1991, undergraduate tuition fees have tripled in Canada. By 2013, students collectively will owe more than $15 billion in federal student loans alone.

“If the federal government wants to reduce student debt and increase accessibility, it should increase the Canada Student Grant program and provide an enhanced dedicated transfer to the provinces so tuition fees can be lowered,” CAUT executive director James Turk said while addressing the crowd. “Canada is a rich country, but we have a government that preferred to forego billions in corporate tax cuts rather than investing adequately in post-secondary education.”

He said mobilizing was by far the most effective way to press governments to make the necessary reinvestments in higher education adding that “our mobilization outside complements the work of the opposition inside Parliament.”

CAUT has called for a federal increase of $410 million for the next three years to restore post-secondary education funding to 1992 levels, adjusted for inflation and population growth.

Academic staff from across the country took part in the day of action, tweeting and marching in solidarity with students.

In Nova Scotia, students worked closely with their supporters in the lead-up to Feb. 1 to prevent a forced merger of institutions, massive tuition fee hikes, and waves of salary reductions in response to government cutbacks.

“For years, we’ve been proud to see NSCAD students … taking leadership roles in the fight for acces­sibility, fair tuition, and increased funding for post-secondary education,” said Alvin Comiter, president of the Faculty Union of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. “Faculty and students are also partners in the struggle to protect our programs in the visual arts, maintain NSCAD’s independence, and undo the cuts to government funding.”

In British Columbia, Cindy Oli­ver, president of the Federation of Post-Secondary Educators of BC, called the day of action an important opportunity to fight against increasing barriers to access.

“We know first-hand from the actions of the BC government that the skyrocketing increases in tuition fees combined with the decrease in real per-student operating grants have closed the door on thousands of students’ opportunity to begin or complete a post-secondary education,” she said.

“The financial squeeze we’re putting on today’s students will only exaggerate the problems BC faces as it tries to overcome a looming skills shortage.”

A Harris Decima survey conducted for CAUT in November 2011 showed that nearly 80 per cent of Canadians think a post-secon­dary degree or certificate is more important than ever, yet most also believe rising costs are making it increasingly difficult to pursue studies.

The poll also showed a majority of Canadians would be willing to pay more taxes if it meant increased access and quality of post-secondary education.