OCUFA Challenges Ontario Government’s Narrative on Postsecondary Funding Crisis, Welcomes Review with Call for Meaningful Faculty Consultation

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TORONTO, ON, June 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) today responded to the announcement by Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security (MCURES) Nolan Quinn of $55.8 million to expand teaching training seats across Ontario. While OCUFA welcomes any new investment in the postsecondary sector, the organization asserts that the Ontario government is not taking meaningful action to address the deep-seated financial crisis facing Ontario’s world-class public universities.

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Minister Quinn highlighted that the investment would train up to 2,600 new teachers by 2027, prioritizing accelerated programs, French and technological education, and seats in northern, rural, Indigenous, and remote regions. However, when asked on the broader financial challenges confronting the sector, Minister Quinn attributed these issues to “unilateral decisions” by the federal government regarding international student study permits.

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“The financial struggles plaguing Ontario’s postsecondary education sector are not a sudden development, nor are they solely a result of federal changes to international student permit caps”, stated OCUFA President Nigmendra Narain.

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“For decades, Ontario’s universities have endured chronic underfunding, consistently ranking dead last in Canada in per-student funding. We are disappointed to see the Ontario Government downplay its own responsibility in supporting this vital sector.”

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OCUFA is deeply concerned that Ontario’s universities are currently grappling with program closures, enrollment pauses, increasing precarity among faculty, and significant challenges in funding the province’s most promising talent. The undergraduate programs that produce the students who enter teacher’s college are not only underfunded, but are now facing cuts, limiting the academic preparation of teachers. While the $55.8 million for teaching pathways is a positive step, OCUFA emphasizes that these recent commitments only scratch the surface of the sector’s needs. To simply reach Canada’s national per-student funding average, Ontario requires an immediate investment of at least $2.78 billion, possibly more depending on the impact of declining international student enrolment. Without substantial and ongoing funding commitments, Ontario’s position as a world leader in postsecondary education, research, and scholarship will continue to be at jeopardy.

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OCUFA welcomes the Minister’s announcement that his ministry will be reviewing how funding is delivered across the postsecondary sector. “We sincerely hope for meaningful consultation during this process and that the Ontario Government will ensure the voices of university faculty and academic librarians across the province are not only heard but respected,” said OCUFA Executive Director Jenny Ahn, echoing recommendations made at OCUFA’s Funding Our Future: Keeping Universities Public conference in 2023.

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Founded in 1964, OCUFA represents more than 18,000 professors and academic librarians in 30 faculty associations across Ontario. It is committed to enhancing the quality of higher education in Ontario and recognizing the outstanding contributions of its members towards creating a world-class university system. For more information, please visit the OCUFA website at www.ocufa.on.ca.

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