Stormy Weather

April 2 in Ontario is living up to tradition…wind, snow, ice and rain is forecast across the province. It’s technically spring, but this is often the time of year when a final winter weather cataclysm howls across the province, forcing higher ed comms offices to pull out their emergency closure binders and send e-blasts to their community.

But this year, April 2 brings another storm. More colleges and universities are reporting revenue losses, with colleges like Centennial, Fleming, Fanshawe and Conestoga announcing intake or program suspensions or layoffs, and universities like York and Waterloo anticipating significant deficits or cuts. 

The fiscal crisis facing public higher education barely registered during the recent provincial election, and the current federal election appears to be following the same path. As Canada prepares to choose its next Prime Minister, there is no indication that educating the next generation of citizens is top-of-mind for any of the parties, suggesting that funding for this sector will continue to slide against our global competitors. 

And to top it off, April 2 is “Liberation Day”, according to American president Donald Trump–the day when his regime will announce a series of global tariffs. The chaotic impact of Trump’s financial flip-flops, along with his disturbing use of ICE to target, detain and deport international students and outright attacks on university funding and autonomy, is creating further mayhem in an industry still recovering from COVID. Some professors are looking north, and outgoing U of T President Meric Gertler told Times Higher Education that applications from American students are up 23 per cent at Canada’s largest teaching and research university. 

But Canada is not yet positioned to absorb those fleeing American higher ed, let alone provide sufficient space for domestic students in high-priority programs. With international enrolment (in particular from powerhouse India) drying up, domestic programs that have been subsidized by foreign students will also lose funding, leading to fewer opportunities for Canadian students.

Ontario–and Canada–must chart a sustainable course for universities and colleges, especially as other institutions worldwide focus on STEM and AI (sorry, humanities), while also dealing with cyber attacks and data security issues, a growing demand for mental health and wellness services, and oh yeah–CLIMATE CHANGE. 

Everyone needs to come to the table for this–governments with a meaningful funding model, industries with partnerships, businesses and alumni with fundraising. It’s complicated, but this is a unique opportunity for universities to do what they excel at: get curious and collaborate in interdisciplinary ways to solve problems. Only then can we dig out from this sector-wide storm and prepare for a Canadian higher ed garden in full bloom.

How can Canada benefit from Trump’s attacks on US higher ed?

While Canadian post-secondary institutions are weathering their own massive fiscal storms due to IRCC caps on international student enrolment, and long-time funding shortages and tuition freezes, spare a thought for our colleagues south of the border.

Several top U.S. universities, including Princeton and the University of California system, have announced hiring freezes in response to spending cuts from the Trump regime. Johns Hopkins University is laying off over 2,000 employees after losing significant funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development. These drastic measures are occurring amidst federal investigations into universities for allegedly failing to protect Jewish students during pro-Palestinian protests last spring.

Now, in a major move against high-profile universities, the Trump regime has cancelled roughly US$400 million in federal grants to Columbia University, accusing the institution of antisemitism. Columbia has responded with policy changes, including restrictions on demonstrations and a review of its Middle East curriculum.

University leaders are expressing alarm over the regime’s aggressive actions, which they believe threaten academic freedom, democratic traditions, and the global research leadership of American academia. This broader crackdown is also raising anxiety for international students, as some have been detained or deported. The toxic environment is causing declining international applications to U.S. universities, and potential tax increases on university endowments are further exacerbating these institution’s financial worries.

For Canadian researchers and institutions, who have collaborated freely with their U.S. counterparts for decades, this academic chill is both unsettling and a threat to ongoing research partnerships and funding. For many American professors, it may be worrisome enough to trigger serious thoughts about abandoning the increasingly polarized, partisan and authoritarian nation. 

Yet while that might suggest a potential for Canadian “brain-gain” as a result of America’s democratic upheavals, there is little space or budget within current Canadian academia to absorb a large influx of professors (or engineers, etc.) fleeing the U.S. strife. Instead, we may see other nations, like France, offering “intellectual asylum” to researchers seeking safe harbour.

As Canada heads into a federal election that grapples with looming threats to our economic health and sovereignty, it’s worthwhile for party leaders to consider how they hope to position Canadian higher ed for the next generation. Do we want to be known for an underfunded system unable to absorb either bright profs or students, or as a Northern Light–a global beacon of innovative, equitable and sustainable learning? 

Elbows up, Canada.