2022 Ontario Election Advocacy

This election presents a valuable opportunity to put postsecondary education on the agenda and build a better future for Ontario. Each political party is making promises and proposals that will affect university faculty, students, our families, and our communities.

This election, OCUFA is focused on three advocacy priorities:

  • Fairness for contract faculty to ensure all faculty are treated with respect and shift Ontario universities away from their dependence on precarious contract labour.
  • Increase student financial assistance and replace OSAP loans with grants.
  • Strong public funding for universities is necessary to support excellence in teaching and research, especially at universities in Northern Ontario and those that offer Indigenous and bilingual programming.

This webpage provides action you can take to pressure your local Ontario election candidates to support these important investments and includes documents that clarify how the platforms and positions of each political party will impact Ontario’s universities. Please share this site with your friends and colleagues and promote it on your campus.

Check back often for the latest news and additional resources.

This public opinion poll conducted for OCUFA by Ekos Research Associates shows broad support for Ontario’s public postsecondary education system and OCUFA’s election advocacy priorities.

Highlights include:

  • 69% of Ontarians believe that postsecondary education should be a high priority for Ontario’s next government.
  • The majority of Ontarians believe that the next provincial government should provide more funding to universities.
  • Two-thirds of Ontarians agree that students in Northern Ontario should have access to university education in Northern Ontario.
  • 71% of Ontarians support legislation that would ensure contract faculty receive equal pay when doing the same work as their full-time colleagues.
  • The majority of Ontarians support replacing student loans with non-repayable grants.
View Resource

Over the years, OCUFA has been a strong advocate for accessible, high-quality postsecondary education delivered through secure academic jobs, by publicly funded, autonomous universities that are governed collegially through shared governance. This vision has been formalized in several OCUFA policies over the years and informed the organization’s advocacy and political lobbying. Below are the main areas of OCUFA’s advocacy platform for the 2022 Ontario election.

View Resource

University professors say Ontario’s allocation of international student spots misses the big picture


TORONTO, March 27, 2024 – The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations welcomed recent news that almost all international study permits will be allocated to Ontario’s publicly funded universities and colleges but warned that distributing study permits based solely on immediate labour market needs misses the big picture. “Ontario’s public universities prepare students for the […]

Ontario budget gets failing grade from university professors


TORONTO, March 26, 2024 – The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations said the 2024 Ontario Budget gets a failing grade for not supporting the province’s public universities. “This budget fails the test of investing in the long-term health of our world-class publicly funded universities,” said Nigmendra Narain, OCUFA President. “Universities are in a crisis […]

OCUFA brings university issues to Queen’s Park during Advocacy Day


Faculty, academic librarians, and academic professionals from universities across Ontario attended OCUFA Advocacy Day on March 20 at the Ontario Legislature to advocate for more robust, sustainable government investment in Ontario’s public university system. OCUFA ambassadors representing more than 18,000 faculty, academic librarians, and academic professionals, conducted meetings with Members of Provincial Parliament and their […]

Ontario professors say new postsecondary funding a drop in the bucket


TORONTO, February 26, 2024 – The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations says today’s government announcement of nearly $1.3 billion for universities and colleges over the next three years is an inadequate investment in Ontario’s postsecondary institutions. “The Minister of Colleges and Universities recognizes that we are facing a funding crisis, but the gap between […]

Ontario university professors call Appeal Court ruling on Bill 124 a win for public sector workers


TORONTO, February 12, 2024 – The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations said the Ontario Court of Appeal’s decision to dismiss the province’s appeal of the controversial and unconstitutional Protecting a Sustainable Public Sector for Future Generations Act—formerly Bill 124—is a win for workers. “This is a clear victory for Ontario’s public sector workers that […]


© 2024 OCUFA. Elections content authorized by the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations.

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