Questions for MPP Candidates
When going to an election townhall meeting, be prepared to ask questions. Ask your local candidates the following questions.
Click on the issue title to read the questions.
- Affordability Crisis: With the current affordability crisis sweeping across the province, many students in Ontario can’t afford the cost of tuition, can’t find suitable housing on or near campus, and increasingly struggle with the cost of basic necessities. What is your party’s plan for improving access to affordable university education for students from all socioeconomic backgrounds in light of this crisis?
- Tuition and Debt: Tuition costs and student debt continue to rise, making higher education less affordable for many. What steps will you take to make university education more accessible and affordable for Ontario students and their families?
- EKOS Research: Recent polling by EKOS research suggests that Ontarians see value in replacing some student loans with grants to help students get a better start in life post-graduation. Will your party be making changes to how government assistance is provided in light of the struggles families in Ontario are experience with affordability?
- Funding Priorities: Ontario universities have the lowest funding in Canada. If elected, how do you plan to address this funding gap, and how will you ensure Ontario’s universities can provide high-quality education and support growing student enrollment?
- SMA3: The performance-based funding model threatens university funding and creates a system based on competition rather than collaboration. It also caps the number of domestic students each university is able to fund, forcing universities to rely on international student fees in lieu of increasing university funding. Will your party replace the performance-based funding model for Ontario’s universities?
- EKOS Research: According to a recent EKOS Research poll, Ontarians feel that our universities are critical to the economic and social fabric of this province. They also believe that it is the government’s job to ensure that universities are adequately funded. Will your party commit to increased investment in our university system, and commit to bringing Ontario to the national average?
- Postsecondary Education and Economic Growth: There is an overwhelming amount of evidence that shows that university graduates have much better career outcomes than those who did not attend university. They earn significantly more over their careers, and are more resilient during times of economic hardship. Despite this, the Ford Government has repeatedly used messaging that downplays the values of university, and touted pathways such as college degrees, micro-credentialling, and experiential learning as equally beneficial – or even, superior – pathways to pursue for students in Ontario. Do you share this belief, and if not, what will you do to ensure that Ontarians understand the value of a university education?
- Revised Funding Model: OCUFA is advocating for a new funding model that doesn’t penalize universities for, amongst many things, increasing domestic enrolment. With international student enrolment on the rapid decline, how would you approach revising Ontario’s university funding model to ensure that institutions can expand enrolment without facing financial penalties?
- International Student Revenue: With changes to international student visa rules, how do you plan to address the financial strain that universities may face due to the reduced reliance on international student tuition fees?
- Long-Term Funding Strategy: OCUFA recommends an annual increase of 11.75% in university funding over five years. What is your view on this approach, and how would you ensure that Ontario’s universities are adequately supported over the long term to meet future challenges?
- Northern Ontario Universities: Northern Ontario universities are vital economic hubs for their communities. How do you plan to support these institutions, especially in light of the massive reduction in revenue they will experience with international student enrolment declining rapidly?
- Northern Ontario Grant for Universities: Will your party commit to meaningful increases to grants in the Northern Ontario Grant for Universities in recognition of the immense contributions of Ontario’s Northern universities and their unique costs?
- EKOS Research: According to recent polling by EKOS research, Ontarians in the North feel that its universities are vital for attracting much needed talent that is difficult to find in their local communities. How do you plan to support Northern universities in attracting and retaining the talent and skills they desperately need?
- Demographic Shift: With Ontario experiencing a demographic shift, that will see the youth population increase dramatically over the next decade, what is your position on the current enrolment caps for domestic students? How would you ensure more Ontario students have access to higher education without facing restrictions? How do you plan to retain the best and brightest high school students, given these restrictions?
- Contract Faculty: Contract faculty make up an increasing proportion of university instructors, today, more than half of all faculty at Ontario universities. How would you support contract faculty in securing stable employment and improving their working conditions?
- Contract faculty: How will your party address precarious work at Ontario universities and will your party commit to delivering job security, and providing funding to ensure faculty renewal?
- EKOS Research: According to a recent polling, Ontarians believe that contract faculty should be paid fairly for their work. Will your party strengthen provincial labour laws to ensure that university contract faculty receive equal pay for work of equivalent value?
- Bill 166: University faculty, administrators and students on Ontario university campuses have denounced the dangers of Bill 166 and newfound powers to legislate universities into changes without their consent. Critics of the legislation have pointed out the dangers of Bill 166 and its negative impacts on university autonomy, and may even be used to place limitations on what scholarship university faculty may pursue, raising additional questions around Bill 166’s threats to academic freedom. Do you believe that government should have a say in what can be taught in the classroom, or that the Ministry of Colleges and Universities should have the ability to overrule university administrators with respect to how its affairs are governed?