This is an archive of news stories and research from the National Union of Public and General Employees. Please see our new site - https://nupge.ca - for the most current information.
The Education for All campaign, of which NUPGE is a part, has made available an online letter-writing tool to call on the federal government to provide stable, long-term funding for the university: https://www.educationforall.ca/lufa_tool.
Ottawa (12 April 2021) ― The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is joining the outcry of voices deeply concerned with the situation at Laurentian University and echoing the call on governments to intervene.
Devastating to staff, students, and the community
Earlier this year, the Sudbury-based university announced that it was filing for creditor protection, citing "financial challenges" (CBC News).
Termination notices and program cuts are expected to come out this week. This will be devastating to the workers and their families, to current students and prospective ones, and to the entire community.
PSE funding model needs fixing
The situation at Laurentian University is a symptom of critical issues affecting the post-secondary education (PSE) sector, which have been worsened by the pandemic.
Public spending on PSE, including federal transfers to the provinces, has not kept pace with enrolment over the past several decades. With years of declining government funding in real terms, colleges and universities are adjusting their budgets by cutting jobs, contracting out services, increasing student tuition fees, and reducing programs.
Governments must step up
In a February statement, the Laurentian University Faculty Association (LUFA) and the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) emphasized that the provincial government "has a responsibility to step in immediately and provide long-term funding to secure the future of Laurentian University so that no student’s education and no person’s job is needlessly lost."
As a public post-secondary institution in Ontario with a tricultural mandate to support French, English, and Indigenous communities, both the federal and provincial governments have a responsibility in ensuring Laurentian has the operating funding needed to secure the public institution’s long-term future.
Take action
NUPGE encourages members and allies to take a few moments to show solidarity with the workers and students at Laurentian by urging the federal government to intervene and provide stable, long-term funding for the university.
The Education for All campaign, of which NUPGE is a part, has made available an online letter-writing tool, available here: https://www.educationforall.ca/lufa_tool.