Wynne’s failure to address the college faculty strike lets down students: NDP

On Thursday, Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath released the following statement following college faculty voting down the latest contract offer in a vote forced by the colleges:

“There seems to be no end in sight for students and faculty that have already faced five weeks of uncertainty. While classes remain on hold, students are worried about their career ambitions, life plans and how they will pay for a semester of education they haven’t received – all while their student loans pile up.

Years of underfunding colleges by Kathleen Wynne, until she achieved the lowest per-student funding in Canada, is at the heart of this dispute. There was no doubt the growing trouble in colleges was going to come to a head, yet Kathleen Wynne refused to come to the table with solutions for years – and today, still refuses to take a leadership role, get both sides at the table and get a deal signed.

It’s disappointing that the Wynne government thinks it can walk away from the mess it created. It’s time for Kathleen Wynne to do the right thing, commit to providing colleges with the resources they need to help students thrive and get both sides back to the bargaining table so that a fair, negotiated agreement can be reached.”