By: Hailey Miller, Staff Writer
The Confederation of University Faculty Associations of British Columbia (CUFA BC) released a statement regarding the 2024/25 provincial budget and its impact on students, universities, and their resources. The Peak spoke to Annabree Fairweather, executive director of CUFA BC, about the issues brought forward by the confines of this year’s budget and ways to overcome them.
The budget allocated $3.89 billion to post-secondary institutions. According to Fairweather, this isn’t enough. She said CUFA BC “had hoped for more money to come into the sector,” to account for the growth and needs of university students in BC.
Fairweather explained that “the post-secondary budget does not take into consideration the implications from the international student cap that was announced from the federal government, ”which will put a limit on the amount of international students coming to Canada. She said they need to work to “soften the blow of what will be a change in that revenue stream.” The decision will reduce the intake of international students by 35% for the next two years, with variations between provinces.
CUFA BC is an association that represents faculty members at universities across the province. They aim to inform the public of post-secondary education, advocate for students and faculty, and promote interests in the intersection between education and government-related matters. In their statement, they noted international students “are more than an economic commodity.” They added, “There are people’s livelihoods at stake, and these changes erode the credibility of our universities to attract and retain students.”
She mentioned the need to address the province’s “job skills deficit,” which occurs when there is a shortage of employees who have the required skills for a job. Despite this, she said the budget is upholding the “status quo,” noting she is still “grateful that it’s not an austerity budget,” which is when a budget stays steady while providing minimal funding to support students and university needs.
While Fairweather said CUFA BC “welcomes the certainty of stable, reliable income,” she maintains the budget doesn’t anticipate that student enrolment has grown while faculty numbers remain stagnant.
“International students [ . . . ] are more than an economic commodity.” — Confederation of University Faculty Associations of British Columbia
She also said the government needs to build a strategy to address financial shortfall across institutions. “It can’t just be throwing money at the system,” she noted. “There is a lot of need for resources to spread around in all sectors of our province.”
Fairweather stressed the importance of institutions providing support for students, such as accessibility services and accommodations, mental health supports, and any tools required to support students’ needs in full capacity. “This is an area that’s going to have a huge collapse within our sector that’s going to deter students from continuing or finishing their studies,” she stated.
Fairweather said the province is working with the federal government “to minimize the impact of the budget and to figure out the next steps,” but she doesn’t “know what that looks like.” The question of “how will the government support institutions?” and whether or not the provincial government will provide compensation during a financial deficit remains.
In order to provide adequate resources and work around the challenges of the budget now and in the future, Fairweather emphasized the importance of vocalizing students’ needs and concerns so the budget can shift to reflect a more supportive environment.
To read more about the CUFA BC’s statement visit their website at cufa.bc.ca/cufabc-statement-provincial-budget-2024/.
