NDP: Ford's college cuts are putting thousands of good jobs and the future of our province at risk

QUEEN’S PARK – NDP Shadow Minister for Colleges, Universities, Research, Excellence & Security, MPP Peggy Sattler (London West), is calling on the Ford government to stop the cuts and fund our public colleges as OPSEU college workers fight for a fair deal:

“Ontario’s public colleges power our economy. They train the next generation of talent, create good jobs in communities across our province, and help shape the future of our province,” said Sattler. “Under Ford’s watch, our public colleges and universities are languishing. Ontario has the lowest per-student college funding in the country. But in the latest budget, the Conservatives cut $2 billion from post-secondary education, putting the future of thousands of jobs, and hundreds of thousands of students, at risk.

“10,000 college workers have already lost their jobs — one of the biggest mass layoffs in the province’s history. This didn’t happen by accident. This is death by a thousand cuts from Doug Ford’s Conservative government.

"Ford’s refusal to invest in post-secondary education, while at the same time funnelling public dollars to private trainers, has created one of the worst crises Ontario’s colleges have ever faced.

“Ontario's colleges are worth fighting for, and the Ontario NDP stands in solidarity with workers fighting for the future of our province.

“We’re calling on Doug Ford to step up: don’t let our public colleges languish, don’t allow even more jobs to disappear under your watch, and don’t gamble away our province’s future.”