Union expresses 'deep concern' for faculty and staff after P.E.I. college suspends programs
Election candidates also weigh in on hit to international enrolment at Holland College
The union representing most of the workers affected by Holland College's programming cuts says it met with members of the school's administration over the weekend to talk about next steps.
Late Friday afternoon, Prince Edward Island's largest community college announced it would be suspending eight programs and downsizing three others because of a "sharp decrease in the college's international student enrolment."
The move affects 35 faculty and staff, 26 of whom are represented by the P.E.I. Union of Public Sector Employees, or UPSE.
"I had deep concern for my members… but I do know this is a national issue with post-secondary institutions. It's disturbing, as the president of a union, to hear of any layoffs," UPSE president Karen Jackson told CBC News.
"We're hoping that the employer is also looking with a broader eye into this cost-reduction strategy and not just looking at frontline workers."
The college estimates that it's facing an 83 per cent decrease in its foreign student enrolment because of two moves the federal government made in 2024 to decrease pressure on Canada's housing markets.
The result for Holland College is "$7 million in lost tuition and fees annually," according to the college's statement on Friday.
The college's main campus is in Charlottetown, but it also offers training in Summerside, Alberton and Georgetown.
Some of the affected employees will receive layoff notices at the end of this academic year, while others will be kept on until May 2026 so that students currently enrolled in suspended programs can complete their final year.
Jackson said there are some options for the employees, and she urged anyone affected by the cuts to contact UPSE.
"There are recall rights," she said. "If the suspended program is reintroduced... they would be called back into the position, bumping and relocation, or there could be a transfer."
In a statement to CBC News, the provincial government said it has met with officials from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to raise concerns about the policy changes affecting study and post-graduate work permits.
The province has also requested another meeting with IRCC and representatives from UPEI and Holland College to discuss the issue further.
"The province is working closely with post-secondary institutions on strategies to address budget impacts resulting from decreased international student enrollment. P.E.I. continues to monitor the overall impacts to the workforce from immigration policy changes on an ongoing basis," the statement said.
Political reaction
Some of the federal election candidates for P.E.I.'s Charlottetown riding weighed in on the college's cuts Monday.
Joe Byrne, the NDP candidate, said that if his party forms government, it would provide additional funding for post-secondary institutions to help them cope with the decline in international enrolment.
He said universities and colleges were gradually forced to rely on foreign students — and the higher tuition they pay — after Ottawa cut funding to post-secondary schools over the years.
"What we're seeing at Holland College is the natural consequence of poor decision-making 30 years ago," Byrne said. "When you pull the financial rug out from under post-secondary institutions, you have to replace it with funding. You can't expect universities and colleges to go through all this transition with no resources."
Green Party candidate Daniel Cousins is a graduate of two of the programs Holland College is suspending — project management and marketing and advertising management.
While Cousins said the Greens don't have a specific platform policy to help the college, they said the federally mandated drop in international student numbers will ultimately hurt the school's reputation.
"In all honesty, we're losing some of the best people in our education system," Cousins said. "Holland College has a… global reputation for certain programs, and that's going to attract people from all over the world, no matter what.
"If we can't accept people from around the world, we're going to lose that credibility."
The program suspensions are "concerning," Liberal incumbent Sean Casey said in a statement to CBC News.
"There's no question that caps on international student admissions — while necessary to address abuses of some institutions and manage infrastructure pressures such as health care and housing — have created significant ripple effects, particularly in communities like ours," the statement reads.
"Addressing this requires collaboration between both levels of government. We need to work closely with Holland College to ensure their programming is aligned with our evolving work-force needs."
While he did not send an official statement, People's Party of Canada candidate Robert Lucas said the cuts are a problem created by the Liberal Party, so the Liberal Party will need to solve it. He said the PPC would further reduce immigration numbers if it forms a government.
CBC News also reached out to Conservative candidate Natalie Jameson, but had not heard back by late Monday.
With files from Stacey Janzer