Students want government to come clean on CNA future

Student groups are demanding that Newfoundland and Labrador's Liberal government reveal how a cost-cutting program will affectthe College of the North Atlantic, while the province says it's business as usual until a review is completed.

The Canadian Federation of Students on Thursdayasked government to publicize itsplans for the province's only public college, as they said rumours of campus closures have been swirling for too long.

"Is the Liberal government planning to close rural CNA campuses as part of their ongoing attack on public education?" federation treasurerAlex Noel in a press release.

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"CNA campuses are important economic drivers in many communities across Newfoundland and Labrador, and the people in those communities have a right to know if the future of their campus is on the line."

According to the union, BonavistaMHA Neil King, a Liberal backbencher,told NAPE protesters that he is on a committee fighting to keep the community's CNA campus open.

When asked about it in the House of Assembly, Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Gerry Byrne did not deny cuts could be coming to CNA.

The government said itsreview will start soon and be finished in the fall, at which point any decisions regarding future operation of CNA will be made and publicized.

CFS represents all post-secondary students in the province.