Representatives of OCUFA’s 27 member faculty associations are on Queen’s Park today, meeting with MPPs as part of our annual lobby day. Faculty ambassadors are looking for support on several key requests, including:
- A made-in-Ontario solution to the challenges facing faculty pensions plans, including a one year extension of solvency relief;
- An impartial research project into contract faculty at Ontario’s universities, as a first step in addressing the challenge of precarious academic work in the province; and
- Restoration of funding to Ontario’s teacher education programs, which have been cut by 33 per cent. The cuts – made without warning or consultation – have created financial crises on several Ontario campuses.
In addition to these key priorities, faculty ambassadors will also be driving home the point that Ontario’s universities remain seriously unfunded, and new investment is urgently needed. We’ll also be providing a critique of the government’s policy framework on “differentiation” to interested MPPs.
To close the day, OCUFA will be hosting a reception for MPPs and political staff. As in past years, this is an excellent opportunity for faculty to engage with their political representatives in an informal setting.