Libyan students to keep scholarships

Libyan students attending Canadian universities will be permitted to keep scholarships from their home government, despite a federal ban on commercial relations with Libya. "The Minister has instructed officials to ensure that these students have access to funds to complete their studies," a foreign affairs spokesperson told the Ottawa Citizen on Thursday. The Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE), which handles scholarships from foreign governments, had been lobbying for an exception be made for the more than 500 Libyan students studying in Canada. The government apparently told the Citizen before informing the CBIE. "We knew they were working on it, but I don’t think we’ve received that same message," a CBIE spokewoman said.