Students betrayed: Bill 33 passes with majority vote
TORONTO, ON – The Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario condemns the passing of Bill
33 today at Queen’s Park; students will experience the continued impacts of a privatized and
corporatized post-secondary education system at the hands of the Ford government. After
fast-tracking Bill 33 through the Legislature and by-passing the committee process, the Minister
of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security now has the unmitigated authority
to interfere with admissions, research, and democratically determined student fees; this
authority directly contradicts the academic integrity and independence of Ontario’s world class
post-secondary education sector. If the Ministry had consulted students prior to Bill 33 passing,
they would have known that students vehemently oppose all aspects of Bill 33.
“Bill 33 is a clear continuation of the dedicated erosion of Ontario’s public post-secondary
education. This legislation does not help with the high cost of tuition fees, lack of access to
OSAP funding, rising youth unemployment, food insecurity or securing affordable housing for
post-secondary students.” said Cyrielle Ngeleka, Ontario Chairperson, “Students across
Ontario’s many campuses will now be experiencing a highly privatized and heavily influenced
education system immediately.”
Despite the clear opposition from students, the passing of this Bill was expedited. Students will
not tacitly allow for the complete destruction of their public education, and will continue to
oppose Bill 33, and all attempts to destabilize post-secondary education.
The Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario is the oldest and largest student organization in
Ontario, representing over 350,000 college and university students in every region of the
province.
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For further information or to set up an interview, contact:
Cyrielle Ngeleka, CFS-Ontario Chairperson at c.ngeleka@cfsontario.ca or (647) 767-9435
Adaeze Mbalaja, Campaigns and Communications Coordinator at a.mbalaja@cfsontario.ca or
(647) 608-4074
www.cfsontario.c