- Immigration minister alerts the federal government is open to wanting on the examine allow caps imposed final yr – although she warns any modifications should be seen as “sustainable” by the Canadian public.
- It follows sweeping job cuts at establishments throughout the nation as budgets are additional squeezed from a global scholar tuition charges shortfall.
- Canadian politicians cautious as US tariffs imposed by Donald Trump’s administration chew.
Mark Carney’s Liberal authorities is planning consultations with the provinces, universities and particular person college students in regards to the worldwide scholar examine cap, which has resulted within the lack of 8,260 jobs in post-secondary schooling because it was first launched in January 2024.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship minister Lena Metlege Diab hinted in an interview with College Affairs that the cap may very well be adjusted, providing a glimmer of hope to the hard-hit sector. She stated the federal authorities recognises that schooling is important to the financial well being of many areas.
“However Canadians wish to make sure that we now have a system that’s sustainable,” she stated.
A spokeswoman for the division, instructed a extra cautious story to The PIE Information. She stated it’s the duty of the provinces to make sure that faculties and universities are adequately funded.
In establishing the caps final yr, Ottawa pointed to a scarcity of housing that was being exacerbated by the excessive variety of worldwide college students coming to Canada.
Ontario has been hardest hit by the cap, with the overwhelming majority of the job losses occurring there. It has the bottom per scholar funding of the ten provinces.
“Training is a provincial and territorial duty – as is the satisfactory funding of post-secondary establishments,” the spokeswoman stated.
Previous to the implementation of the examine allow cap, faculties and universities throughout the nation counted on worldwide scholar tuition revenues to satisfy their finances shortfalls.
Training is a provincial and territorial duty – as is the satisfactory funding of post-secondary establishments
Spokeswoman, IRCC
Increased schooling marketing consultant Ken Steele is monitoring the variety of positions misplaced – and the information will get grimmer each month. In Might, he reported that greater than 5,000 jobs had been slashed. Now, that quantity is dramatically larger as establishments wrestle with monetary challenges.
They embrace layoffs, cuts which have been introduced however not carried out but, and early retirements. Steele cautioned that these losses are solely those which have been introduced – there could also be others that establishments have quietly carried out.
Greater than jobs are disappearing. Steele stated the monetary hit throughout the nation is CAD$2.7 billion this yr. Examine alternatives have narrowed, with 583 packages being suspended at faculties and universities.
A few of the largest cuts have been made at Ontario faculties. Centennial in Toronto has misplaced greater than 750 positions, whereas Sheridan in Oakville has seen 656 jobs disappear.
British Columbia and Quebec have additionally been hit onerous. In Montreal, 200 positions have been eradicated at Concordia College and 401 at McGill College.
“The federal authorities ought to declare ‘mission completed’ and ease the examine allow cap to protect employment,” Steele instructed The PIE.
“IRCC has surpassed its objectives in lowering short-term international employees and worldwide visa college students and housing prices have already began to drop in main centres like Toronto,” he stated.
The job losses come as Carney’s authorities is anxious in regards to the financial injury attributable to US President Donald Trump’s imposition of tariffs.
There are fears that the Canadian financial system is coming into a recession, which might imply extra unemployment. The jobless price rose to 7% in Might, the very best determine in nearly a decade.
“Because the federal authorities seeks to strengthen the financial system and backstop main employers impacted by the tariffs, it ought to actually contemplate methods to assist the upper schooling sector too,” Steele argued.
“The injury is being finished by abrupt coverage modifications in Ottawa – not Washington,” he stated.
The cap for this yr is 437,000 permits. Ottawa has chopped the variety of worldwide college students by 40 p.c since asserting the restriction in January 2024.
