In mid-October the government of Ontario introduced its pernicious and highly controversial legislation to establish the Post-secondary Education Choice and Excellence Act.

Bill 132 will repeal the Degree Granting Act and change the title of and make amendments to the Ministry of Colleges and Universities Act. If passed by the Legislature, the new act would pave the way for private post-secondary institutions in Ontario and would allow colleges of applied arts and technology to grant applied degrees.

The act would establish the Post-secondary Education Quality Assessment Board to provide advice on new degree program proposals submitted by Ontario colleges, out-of-province degree-granting institutions and new degree-granting institutions in Ontario -- including privately funded institutions.

The government claims the change will give students greater choice and improve the quality of education but critics warn the move will be detrimental to the system overall. "There has been no identified need for private universities," said Henry Jacek, president of the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations. "In report after report, Ontario's academics have clearly outlined the concerns and negative repercussions that the introduction of private, for-profit institutions could have on the quality of university education in the province."

At a time when student enrollment is expected to peak at 90,000 students over the next decade, and the shortage of faculty in the province will be close to 15,000, Jacek says the government continues to "resolutely ignore the real situation to this crisis which would be to provide adequate funding to the post-secondary education system."

CAUT president Tom Booth warned that private universities will drain badly-needed resources away from the public system. "Private universities will be eligible to administer Ontario student loans and will be eligible for research dollars. Instead of subsidizing private universities, the government should focus on investing in the public system and bringing down tuition fees."

Student groups are outraged the government is proceeding with its bill "with no meaningful public consultation," said Erin George, Ontario Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students, who vows her group will fight the implementation of private universities every step of the way.

The federation says the government's scheme will increase the costs to students. "While this government claims it is offering a choice for students, it is only a choice for students from affluent backgrounds," George said.

In April, CAUT Council passed an emergency resolution condemning the government of Ontario's decision to introduce Bill 132. With the announcement, Ontario is the first province to officially offer degree-granting status to private, for-profit universities. Private universities could be established in the province as early as September 2001.