Roger Melanson's tuition rebate cut unleashes Twitter backlash

Finance Minister Roger Melanson's decision to scrap a rebate program for university graduates who stay in New Brunswick is being pilloried on social media.

The Liberal government's first budget took the cleaver to several programs in an effort to reduce the structural deficit.

The tuitionrebate program, which could reach a maximum of $20,000 for graduates who stayed in the province and worked after graduation, was cancelled on Tuesday.

"We feel there are better ways to support students who need it most. The New Brunswick Tuition Rebate helped only those students who have already graduated and are collecting salaries," Melanson said in the budget.

"It did nothing to help needy students enter the system in the first place."

Instead, the provincial government announced plans to eliminate the parental and spousal contribution to student loans.

The termination of the tuition rebate sparked an intense backlash online from people who said it was going to force them out of the province.

Online petition started

The anger over the tuition rebate cancellation prompted some on social media to start circulating a petition to have the program reinstated.

While the outrage over the budget spread quickly on social media on Tuesday evening, so did the petition calling for the Liberal government to backtrack.

The online petition has already been signed by more than 12,000 people, according to the website.

Finance minister defends cut

The finance minister said on Wednesday on Information Morning Fredericton the Liberals want to make post-secondary education more affordable in the province.

He said some of the money saved from the cut will be used to help make higher education more accessible to students and future students.

Melansonalso said the provincial government consulted with the New Brunswick Student Alliance on its views of the tuition rebate program.

There were some on social media, who were voicing their views that the tuition program should have been replaced with an alternate program to help graduates.