Liberals say Conservatives favour own ridings for KIP funding

An analysis of funding distributed from the Knowledge Infrastructure Program shows that the federal government has awarded a disproportionate amount of money to universities and colleges located in Conservative-held ridings, says Liberal Infrastructure Critic Gerard Kennedy. The analysis indicates that institutions in Conservative ridings received an average of 33% more funding on a per-student basis than schools in Opposition-held ridings, amounting to a funding gap of $263 million. The analysis also suggests a bias against larger institutions. Campuses with over 15,000 students received below-average per-student grants of just $1,038 per student, while the highest per-student grants were given to smaller, generally private schools, particularly in Western Canada and in Conservative ridings. Liberal News Release