Although most of it got lost in the press during what was one of Paul Martin’s worst weeks as Prime Minister, the Liberal post-secondary announcement on Thursday is a step in the right direction. Paying half the first and final year of tuition will help encourage University accessibility, and the more University educated students Canada produces, the better educated workforce we’ll have. And, as Martha said before she was hauled off to the big house, that’s a good thing.

What I’d really like to see would be a joint federal/provincial initiative to provide cheap and high quality University access to all Canadians. It would take a lot of money, and a lot of effort by everyone involved, and it’s certainly not something you can announce during an election campaign. But I would hope that whoever wins this election sits down with the Premiers on the issue and tries to find a solution. Preferably one that amounts to more than a cash transfer to students or provinces.

Despite that, it’s nice to see some focus on the issue. I think we can all agree it’s at least as important as the blogs of Liberal officials or how much various leaders “love” Canada.