PSAC Ontario has over 5,000 members who are academic workers at Queen’s University, Western University and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. We are fully in support of universal access to education, education justice and public education for the public good.
Education is a right. Access to it should not be discriminatory due to class, origin, ethnicity, gender, sexual identity or orientation, age, religious affiliation, political beliefs, ability or family status.
Tuition fees in this province and across the country have skyrocketed as a result of cuts to public funding by federal and provincial governments. Universities have in turn raised tuition rates, cut grants and allowed the private sector greater access and control for sponsorship. Academic freedom, expansion of advertising on campuses, changes to curriculum and influence on research further the corporatization of public education.
For those who do attend post-secondary education, many are left with tens of thousands of dollars in debt, while entering an unstable labour market. We know that today students on average graduate with over $28,000 of education-related debt after an undergraduate degree. The cost of postgraduate education has also become prohibitively expensive. The financial burden impacts upon families, but it also ripples throughout our entire economy.
Students are leading the fight for universal education and PSAC Ontario stands in solidarity with them and with our members. On November 2nd, our members will be proud to stand with the Canadian Federation of Students, community groups, labour unions, and social justice organizations to demand universal access to education, education justice and public education for the public good.
As the Regional Executive Vice-President for PSAC Ontario’s 30,000 membership, I want to officially endorse this CFS Day of Action.
In Solidarity,
Sharon DeSousa,
Regional Executive Vice-President – Ontario
Public Service Alliance of Canada
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 free-education-factsheet.pdf | 1.15 MB |