‘Stop the cuts’: Vancouver rally protests international study permit limits

Colleges and universities across the province continue to grapple with the federal government issuing fewer international student permits.

Colleges and universities across B.C. continue to grapple with the fallout from the federal government’s reduction in international student permits.

On Friday, faculty and students from Vancouver Community College gathered outside the Vancouver Art Gallery to protest the changes, which have wreaked havoc on institutional budgets.

“The actual institutions have no alternative,” said Frank Cosco, president of the VCC Faculty Association, at Friday’s rally.

“The only thing they can do is cut people, and that’s what they’re doing. We’re losing over 100 jobs at VCC.”

Kwantlen Polytechnic University and Langara College have also been hit hard, the former issuing layoff notices to roughly 70 faculty members last month.

Langara’s faculty association estimated last month that 200 jobs had been lost at that institution.

• Read more: 200 jobs lost at B.C. college due to international student cap, faculty association says

At Friday’s rally, dozens of attendees held signs reading “stop the cuts.”

Among them was Kwantlen Faculty Association president Mark Diotte.

“There may be program reductions, program suspensions, so less opportunity for domestic students, as well,” he said. “And, of course, job loss affects us all.”

Ottawa’s decision to impose provincial caps on international students – limiting them to no more than 30 per cent of total enrolment – has reduced revenues, and many of those in attendance Friday lamented that neither the federal nor the provincial government had stepped in with sufficient additional funding to make up for the loss.

“We shouldn’t be completely dependent on those (international) families to fund our education system,” said Cosco.

In a statement, B.C.’s Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills placed the blame squarely on the federal government, describing the study permit changes as “unilateral” and saying the province continues to raise concerns about the issue with Ottawa.

“We remain committed to advocating for B.C. post-secondary institutions and we appreciate them working hard to minimize the negative impacts on students, faculty and staff,” the ministry said.

“While the province provides funding for public post-secondary institutions, under the University Act and the College and Institute Act, institutions are responsible for administering their own operations. Since 2017, the province has increased operating grants for public post-secondary institutions by over $1 billion. The ministry will continue to work closely with all post-secondary institutions as they work to manage their operations and budgets."

With the federal election happening Monday, faculty and students at B.C. post-secondary institutions are hoping the next federal government will rethink the study permit policy or increase other sources of funding.

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Yasmin Gandham