Major victory achieved on protecting public universities by OCUFA

The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) won a major victory on November 21, 2023, to protect public universities from harmful bankruptcy legislation.  It was announced by federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland at the Fall Economic Statement that the government will reform bankruptcy legislation to protect public universities from restructuring policies.

According to a media release from OCUFA, the news comes almost three years “after Laurentian University entered into bankruptcy protection under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) and Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (BIA).”  This was a terrible situation as it was the first time a public institution utilized the CCAA and BIA process.  The result was funding cuts, workers losing jobs, and an interruption of learning for students.  It also had a devastating impact on the community of Sudbury.

According to OCUFA President Nigmendra Narain, “OCUFA and its member organizations and allies have worked for years to secure this change to bankruptcy legislation through public campaigns and lobbying efforts.”

“Through the tireless efforts of OCUFA, our member organizations, and our allies, we are proud to see real change happen today to ensure that our public universities will no longer be vulnerable to the dangers of corporate restructuring,” said Narain. “What happened at Laurentian should never have happened, and now we can ensure that it will not happen again to another public university in Canada.”

OSSTF/FEESO is part of OCUFA and represents over 2,500 university support staff at six universities.  This work by OCUFA offers greater protection to OSSTF/FEESO Members working in the university sector.

Members can read the full media release by OCUFA on their website.