Today, legislation passed through the House of Commons to remove publicly funded post-secondary education institutions from the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA). These changes ensure that no public university or college will face the same problems as Laurentian University in 2021 when the university administration filed for insolvency protection, bypassing collective agreements. 

“This is an important victory for academic staff and all Canadians because treating universities and colleges – the places we teach, research and build for the future – like corporations is not in the best interest of our country,” said Peter McInnis, president of the Canadian Association of University Teachers.  

“Our members banded together and called upon the government to make this important change. As we see more and more uncertainty in our sector because of underfunding, these protections come at a critical time,” said McInnis. 

Years of advocacy and pressure from academic staff across the country to fix this law has finally paid off. Universities and colleges can now continue to serve the public interest, even through insolvency.

The legislation, Bill C-59, will now move on to the Senate where it is expected to promptly be passed into law.