In late February, faculty from across Ontario held virtual meetings with elected Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) to urge the Ontario government to step-up and provide Laurentian University with the strong, stable, and long-term funding it needs.
Faculty across Ontario are deeply concerned about the precedent and far-reaching implications Laurentian’s funding crisis could have for our sector. Faculty hold the view that the erosion of public investment in universities and the decline in the accountability and transparency of university governance have brought us to this point.
Ontario faculty communicated to MPPs that Laurentian’s decision to pursue CCAA protection is entirely inappropriate, as the CCAA is designed for private sector companies, not public institutions like Laurentian University. As an institution funded largely by the provincial government, the university should be engaging with the Ministry of Colleges and Universities to secure more funding to address its financial challenges. Faculty noted that Laurentian is the first Ontario university to experience financial distress and then be abandoned by the provincial government.
The week of advocacy facilitated many important conversations with MPPs about the importance of public funding of postsecondary education and the alarming implications the situation a Laurentian poses for the sector as a whole.
OCUFA representatives also had a strong social media presence throughout the week, reporting on their meetings with MPPs and called on Minister of Colleges and Universities Ross Romano to provide Laurentian with the funding it needs.