Freezing commercial relationship with Libya could negatively impact students
Libyan students attending Canadian universities could lose their funding as a result of the federal government’s recent decision to freeze commercial relations with the North African country. A widespread rebellion is currently taken place against dictator Moammar Gadhafi.
Because many Libyan students are funded by the Libyan government, their scholarship money could be put on hold as an unintended consequence of Ottawa’s decision to put financial pressure on Gadhafi. Vianne Timmons, president of the University of Regina, and board chair of the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) will be in Ottawa this week to lobby the government to make an exception for student scholarships.
While Libya has indicated to CBIE, which handles scholarship money from foreign governments, that it will continue to release the funds, Timmons told the Regina Leader-Post that “we have to get permission now from the federal government to accept it.”