Ford displeased with a cap on international students

Premier Doug Ford and his cabinet are reinforcing their criticism of the Trudeau government's limit on international students, all while getting ready to announce additional funding for colleges and universities in Ontario.

Ford has teased a "very positive" announcement from Minister of Colleges and Universities Jill Dunlop.

The minister is scheduled to deliver a speech at Queen's Park around 2 p.m. this coming Monday.

Back in January, the federal government revealed plans to limit the number of international students into the country, resulting in a cap of approximately 50 percent in Ontario.

Since 2019, the province has halted increases in tuition fees for universities and colleges. However, leaders in the education sector have indicated that they've had to depend on unregulated tuition fees from international students to fill the resulting financial gap.

On Thursday, Dunlop expressed that the cap had caused "chaos" in the province's post-secondary education system. She emphasized that employers in Ontario require more graduates, including international students, to address shortages in the labor force.

On Friday, Ford continued his critique, stating, "You can't just use a sledgehammer approach like the federal government did and catch everyone off guard."

"Our top selling point is the colleges and universities and the caliber of students they produce," Ford stated.

Critics, however, have accused the Ford government of providing insufficient funding to universities, neglecting to increase tuition fees, and allowing the sector to face hardships.

"Ford has been well aware of how years of chronic underfunding by both Liberal and Conservative governments, along with five years of cuts under his administration, have pushed our postsecondary institutions to the edge," stated Ontario NDP colleges and universities critic Peggy Sattler.

Orsini stated, "The financial pressures have resulted in cuts that are affecting student services and support."