What’s New
June 18, 2021 – Calgary Sun Opinion: Cuts at post-secondary level will hurt Alberta
LEE EASTON
Franco Terrazzano of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation recently endorsed the Alberta government’s cuts to Alberta post-secondary education, saying it is time to stand up to Alberta’s university and college “union bosses.”
Putting aside this strange ad hominem insult from a highly paid lobbyist who works for a small and secretive organization to level at public servants, this is another misguided attempt to justify the cuts to post-secondary education to achieve efficiency.
The CTF claims to have studied all university and college collective agreements since 2015 and concluded that our slight wage increases over that time were excessive in comparison to other Albertan workers.
They miss two important points.
First, faculty salaries are not what the CTF claims they are. Link to Full Article
June 4, 2021 – Solidarity Statement in Support of Call for Action in the Wake of Discovery of Lost Children in Tk’emlups
As we mourn the loss of the lives of 215 children whose remains were recently located at the former Kamloops Residential School in Tk’emlups, we have come face-to-face with the real legacy of Canada’s genocide of Indigenous peoples. In response to this discovery, we commit to seeking truth and reconciliation through solidarity action with First Nations, Inuit, and Metis across Alberta and Canada.
Our coalition of civil society and labour organizations stands with the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations and other first nations and communities in Treaty 7 and Treaty 8 to echo the call for the provincial and federal government to immediately implement an action plan with all First Nations, Metis and Inuit communities to locate the graves of the thousands of missing Indigenous children so that proper cultural protocols can be observed. Solidarity Statement
May 4, 2021 – Faculty respond to Alberta 2030: Building Skills for Jobs Report
Edmonton, AB, May 4, 2021 – The “Building Skills for Jobs” report underscores the fundamental lack of understanding by the current Alberta government of a university education. It is not to impart skills of the moment, for a job today, that by some metric is purported to meet current market/industry needs, which is gone tomorrow. A university education develops and nurtures curiosity, critical thinking, higher order problem solving, and a quest to discover. These qualities and more, provide university graduates with durable, transferable, and versatile skills, allowing them to adapt and thrive in any environment. Furthermore, university education benefits society well beyond industry and labour markets, facilitating an informed citizenry to make important societal decisions. It is unfortunate that the report reflects this lack of understanding.Press Release
Alberta 2030 Government Documents
Alberta 2030: building skills for jobs 10-year strategy for post-secondary education
Alberta 2030: building skills for jobs What We Heard – engagement summary
Alberta 2030: analysis and stakeholder input
March 8, 2021 – UCP Government picking the losers in the PSE sector
Edmonton AB, March 8, 2021 – The UCP government likes to claim that it is against picking the winners in their policy decisions, but with the 2021 budget they did pick the institutions they want to suffer the biggest losses in the PSE sector. The University of Alberta was given disproportionate cuts to their Campus Alberta Grants: the U of A received a -11% cut, compared to the average of -6.2%, and their $60 million dollar cut is more than one third of the total dollars cut across all colleges and universities. While CAFA does not believe the UCP government picked any winners among the public universities and colleges, the UCP government definitely picked the losers—with the University of Alberta taking far more than their share of the damaging cuts. Press Release
March 2, 2021 – Students and Faculty Respond to Provincial Budget
Edmonton, AB, March 2, 2021 – With the release of Budget 2021, the Government of Alberta has cut teaching and research supports to post-secondary institutions by $175 million compared with last year’s budget. This is the third budget with a significant cut to post-secondary operations, removing over $400 million in total, and the government is proposing another 7% cut next year. As Albertans return to universities for training and upgrading their skills, this government continues to increase costs to students and their families, claiming that the government cannot bear the costs. Press Release
January 2021 – Working Conditions are Learning Conditions Campaign Launch
Invest in Alberta’s future. Stop the cuts to post-secondary education.
This campaign is an effort of a coalition of organizations representing over 154,000 undergraduate and graduate students, over 11,000 faculty and instructors, and over 13,000 support staff in Alberta’s post-secondary education system. We exist to advocate for a strong post-secondary education sector so that Alberta can thrive. www.stoppsecuts.ca
January 2021 Letter to U of A Board Chair re Governance read more
December 2020 Letter to the Honorable Jason Kenney, MLA, Premier of the Province of Alberta re Dr. Ubaka Ogbogu
November 9, 2020 CAFA’s Submission to McKinsey & Co Alberta 2030 Review
November 5, 2020 Post-Secondary Education Workers Rally in Solidarity with Health Care Workers
CAFA Distinguished Academic Awards 2020 Video Presentation
CAFA Distinguished Academic Awards Media Release
September 2020 CAFA responds to NDP Post-secondary Review
July 2020 Press Release for Fair Deal Research Funding Announcement
July 2020 CAFA Alberta 2030 Press Release
May 2020 PSE Coalition Letter to Minister Nicolaides
May 2020 Albertan Universities’ Positive Impacts during the COVID-19 Crisis
