But it's not really that open when you consider it. For instance, a poor kid like me was limited to the schools in my surrounding area, which meant getting into a business program or engineering program was out of the question because I didn't do especially well in high school math.

The big thing is that a lot of the more practical programs that lead to a job aren't that easy to get into at least in Ontario. Also, those student loans didn't go especially far once you accounted for minimum wage and not trying to spend the next 10 years being choked to death by student loan payments.

Lastly, sure on a surface level accounting they don't take out that much but when their parents place such a heavy emphasis on getting a professional degree, it's pretty hard if you're from a working class/poor family it's hard to compete for spots when you have an increase in people who come from essentially middle class backgrounds.

Moreover, that's not a big shift in the tax system because employers would fill those jobs with whoever they can find. Remember the tax system isn't that fair, being low income is always profitable to employers and capital, it's just subsidizing profits.