Conestoga College’s president faces criticism at federal committee

John Tibbits testified before a federal committee during a review on international student policies. CTV’s Krista Simpson explains.

Conestoga College’s president faced a barrage of questions at a federal committee examining the country’s international student policies.

The Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration met on Parliament Hill on Thursday. Last month the committee agreed to study Canada’s immigration system with a specific focus on the international student program and study permits to identify systemic issues.

During a previous meeting, Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner, who is the vice-chair of the committee, expressed shock that Conestoga College’s president John Tibbits was not there.

The college and Tibbits have been facing scrutiny over the number of international students attending the school.

Conestoga College’s international student enrolment grew by 1,579 per cent in seven years, from 763 students in 2014-15 to 12,808 in 2021-22, according to a 2024 report from Ontario’s Big City Mayors.

Following the federal government’s cap on study visas earlier this year, Conestoga reported 8,584 international students enrolled for the 2025 spring semester — a 62 per cent drop from 22,633 students at the same time last year.

Tibbit’s testimony

Tibbits appeared via video at Thursday’s meeting.

At the beginning, he and other witnesses were given five minutes to address the committee.

“The committee’s study comes at a pivotal moment for Canada’s international student program,” he said. “Colleges, including Conestoga, have been subject to scrutiny about the role international [students] play in housing, affordability and community pressures. I welcome the opportunity to reaffirm that Conestoga’s approach has always been about service. Our mission has always been to ensure the communities we serve have access to the skilled labour force they need to survive.”

He said the college’s growth has been in line with municipal, provincial and federal immigration policies.

“Looking ahead, we believe this is the time to stabilize the system to build an international student program that is sustainable, fair, globally competitive and focused on Canada’s economic priorities,” he said.

“It’s kind of a mess”

When committee members were given the opportunity to address the witnesses, Rempel Garner posed the first line of questioning to Tibbits.

“I’ve got to say, it’s kind of a mess,” Rempel Garner said after asking several questions regarding strains on housing stock, youth jobs and the healthcare system. “You were quoted as saying about Sault College president David Orazietti some pretty wild things. You called him a whore, yet I note that your salary is over $600,000. You are now the highest paid college or university president in the province. We’ve heard some pretty bad things about foreign students at your college. How do you reconcile those comments you made about another university president with your current salary and the mess that the region now finds itself in due to your decisions to juice foreign student permits to that level?”

Tibbits refuted some of her claims.

“First of all, the region is not in a mess. Secondly, I did apologize about that matter. That was a mistake,” Tibbits said.

“There’s been a lot of polling that has said that Canada’s immigration consensus is broken. Do you take any responsibility for that given that you juiced foreign student permits to a level where healthcare, housing and jobs clearly didn’t have the capacity in your region?” Rempel Garner asked.

“All our students found housing. They did,” Tibbits insisted during the 10 seconds he was allotted to answer the question.

Throughout the course of the meeting, Tibbits would reiterate that the college has been investing in housing to ensure students have access to suitable accommodations. However, committee members pushed back on that idea, noting local media outlets, including CTV News, published a story in 2024 where regional councillor Michael Harris said he had spoken to a Conestoga College student who had left a home he had been sharing with 13 other students.

“Do you deserve your $600,000 salary?”

Later, when answering a question from Conservative MP Brad Redekopp, Tibbits said the college did not pursue international student growth solely for revenue.

“That’s not why we grew the international [student population]. We grew the international because we don’t have enough domestic students to fill the jobs in our region,” he said.

Redekopp then zeroed in on Tibbit’s personal financial situation.

“Dr. Tibbits, [Conestoga College] had $550 million in [its] bank account on March 31 of this year. Do you deserve your $600,000 salary?” Redekopp asked.

“I take the job very seriously,” Tibbits responded. “We have poured at least $500 million back into the community.”

According to the most recent Ontario Sunshine List, a document naming public sector workers whose salaries surpass $100,000, Tibbits earned $636,106.70 in salary and $3,898.71 in taxable benefits in 2024.

In March, the school announced Tibbits’ contact had been extended to the end of 2026, however the search has begun for his successor.