This website is a testimony to the problems Canadian Student Loan borrowers experienced from approximately 1996 to 2008 and until their loans were paid off.

The privatization of the Student Loans system by the Chretien and Martin Liberal governments broke the system and defaulted thousands of borrowers who were trying to pay their loans. There were even stories of suicide due to the harassment of borrowers.

Read the report that I prepared back in 2007 here. Canada Student Loans-The Need for Change Fortunately the new Conservative government at the time revamped the program and fixed the system for new borrowers, but borrowers under the previous program were left with ruined credit and continued harassment from debt collectors.

I call on the Canadian Government to apologize to the borrowers affected by this fiasco and make amends.

Unfortunately the Liberal government is again clobbering the Education system with their upcoming changes to International Student Visas. Yes, there's a problem, but instead of a well thought out plan, they have pulled the emergency brake on the train causing a derailment. This has introduced unprecedented instability for both private and public education institutions who serve both international and local students.

Universities can't plan. I've heard of courses being cut because the government has no process in place for universities to send the newly required acceptance letters to the government.

This means that students who have been accepted can not attend courses that start in the summer 2024 semester. With cut sections, current Canadian students will have trouble getting courses, and may have to switch to part-time which changes their enrollment status and might trigger repayment of their loans or ineligibility for funding. I've seen this before. It wreaks havoc on the student loan borrowers.

Again, the Liberal government has messed up the education environment. Will the new system needed in a rush for the acceptance letters be the new Arrivecan scandal?

I call on the government to implement a slower phased in approach and delay the requirement of the acceptance letters until a process is in place to submit these letters.


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Forum LockedGST refund seized

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Jason View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Jason Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: GST refund seized
    Posted: 12/June/2015 at 6:35pm
I have a set of old federal student loans only, no provincial loans, from 1999-2002 totaling some 20K as best I can recall. I haven't kept any documents, and I haven't been contacted about it or made any contact for ten years or more. I'm on social assistance aka welfare, that's my only income.

A few years ago they started to seize the GST refund resulting from my federal tax return. So I stopped filing the federal return, now I only file my provincial return here in Quebec.

I would like to know if it is really allowed for them to seize my GST refund - firstly due to the statute of limitations, and secondly isn't there some kind of rule about it...here in Quebec they cannot garnish the provincial tax rebate which is given out to low income people, called the "solidarity tax credit", to pay off a debt because it would be a hardship for someone with such low income. It doesn't seem right that they can seize the GST refund from someone with a monthly income of $600.

Second thing I would like to know is if I go back to work, can they garnish my wages even with the statute of limitations? And even if I make minimum wage?

Also I am considering filing the federal return this year because I may need the notice of assessment to participate in a government program here, and I was wondering if I could hurt myself in doing so. In getting my GST refund seized again, could this be considered an acknowledgment of the debt and thus reset the waiting period for the statute of limitations? What does the statute of limitations really do for me, I guess is what I'm also asking, and is there any way to know for sure that I have it?

Any advice will be greatly appreciated, thanks.

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Jason View Drop Down
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Joined: 12/June/2015
Location: Montreal
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Jason Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12/June/2015 at 7:20pm
As an addendum to my question, I have found in my old tax records a letter from Canada Revenue Agency dated March 16, 2009 saying that they are responsible for collecting my debt to HRSDC. And there is an earlier letter advising me HRSDC has asked CRA to recover my debt from any income tax refund or tax credit payment I may be entitled to receive. My 2008 notice of assessment does not mention the GST credit, so I am not sure if it was seized or if I purposely did not ask for it when I prepared the return (there was a box you had to check to request it), knowing I would not receive it. What I am sure of is that 2008 is the last year for which I filed my federal tax return. My 2007 return says I am to get the GST credit for that year.
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