MissingMissing PiecesPieces VV AN ALTERNATIVE GUIDE TO CANADIAN POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION Edited by Denise Doherty-Delorme and Erika Shaker Missing Pieces V: An Alternative Guide to Canadian Post-secondary Education i Missing Pieces V: An Alternative Guide to Canadian Post-secondary Education Edited by Erika Shaker and Denise Doherty-Delorme ISBN 0-88627-379-X August 2004 $12.00 410-75 Albert Street Ottawa, ON K1P 5E7 tel: 613-563-1341 fax: 613-233-1458 email: [email protected] http://www.policyalternatives.ca CAW 567 ii Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Contents Contributors ...................................................................................................................................................v Introduction................................................................................................................................................... 1 Rankings......................................................................................................................................................... 3 Overall .................................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Access ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Accountability ....................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Equity.................................................................................................................................................................................... 11 Quality .................................................................................................................................................................................. 15 From the editors “Accessive” policies or excessive debt: Who’s paying for higher education?....................................................... 19 Provincial overviews.................................................................................................................................. 29 Newfoundland and Labrador ......................................................................................................................................... 31 PSE in PEI ............................................................................................................................................................................33 Nova Scotia .........................................................................................................................................................................35 PSE in New Brunswick ...................................................................................................................................................... 37 Quebec.................................................................................................................................................................................39 The state of higher education in Ontario: Turning a new page? ............................................................................ 41 Manitoba.............................................................................................................................................................................. 47 Provincial support for PSE in Saskatchewan................................................................................................................49 Alberta’s higher education in 2003 ...............................................................................................................................52 British Columbia.................................................................................................................................................................55 A closer look at higher education in Canada ...................................................................................... 57 Reclaiming the teaching profession: From corporate hierarchy to the authority of learning...........................59 Deregulation and accessibility for law students at the University of Toronto ......................................................75 Trickle-down academics: University policies and Alberta’s political culture, 2002-03........................................86 Rethinking and remaking academic freedom .............................................................................................................93 Trouble with the commercialisation of university research: How our campus pub became a Coke bar…100 The introduction of applied degrees and research in Ontario community colleges: Retrenchment of the Corporate Agenda ..........................................................................................................................................................108 Greening the ivory towers: Academia to action! ...................................................................................................... 112 Missing Pieces V: An Alternative Guide to Canadian Post-secondary Education iii iv Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Contributors Jen Anthony is the Newfoundland and Labrador Diane Meagan is a Professor of General Educa- Organizer for the Canadian Federation of Students tion at Seneca College Elizabeth Carlyle is the Canadian Federation of Roseanne Moran is the Communications and Re- Students’ National Representative to the Interna- search Officer at the College Institute Educators’ tional Union of Students Association of BC Amy Dickieson Kaufman is Policy Analyst for the Dean Neu is a Future Fund Professor of Account- Ontario Confederation of University Faculty As- ing in the Haskayne School of Business at the sociations University of Calgary Denise Doherty-Delorme is a Research Associate Elizabeth Ocampo-Gomez is a PhD student in the with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta Jeca Glor-Bell is a Regional Coordinator for the Shannon Phillips is the former Executive Policy Sustainable Campuses Project from the Sierra and Information Officer at the University of Al- Youth Coalition berta Students’ Union Dave Hare is (past) Nova Scotia National Execu- Claire Polster is a Professor of Sociology at the tive Representative for the Canadian Federation University of Regina of Students Anna Rosenbluth is a Researcher living in Toronto, Glen Hughes is a researcher with the University of Ontario Calgary Students’ Union Mark Rosenfeld is Director of Research at the Kerri Klein is a Regional Coordinator for the Sus- Ontario Confederation of University Faculty As- tainable Campuses Project from the Sierra Youth sociations Coalition Erika Shaker is Director of the Canadian Centre Darcy Knoll is completing a degree in Journalism for Policy Alternatives’ Education Project at Carleton University Tanya Shaw is a PhD candidate in Cellular and John McMurtry is an author and retired Professor Molecular Medicine at the University of Ottawa of Philosophy at the University of Guelph Missing Pieces V: An Alternative Guide to Canadian Post-secondary Education v Charles C. Smith is Equity Advisor for the Cana- Nick Vikander is International Affairs Coordina- dian Bar Association tor for the Quebec Federation of University Stu- dents / la Féderation étudiante universitaire du Marc Spooner is a PhD candidate in Education at Québec (FEUQ) the University of Ottawa vi Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Introduction This is the fifth edition of Missing Pieces: An al- ernments are ensuring the greatest possible degree ternative guide to Canadian post-secondary edu- of access to universities and colleges—or, instead, cation. As in previous years we continue the prac- pursuing degree and program fee deregulation. It tice of ranking the provinces according to their level exposes the increasing amount of private money of commitment to providing and maintaining high and private interests entrenched in our public in- quality, equitable, publicly accountable and acces- stitutions, and the ways in which this potentially sible higher education. However, given the con- undermines public accountability. It looks at the text of a recent federal election that saw the Liber- degree to which instructors are adequately com- als returned to a fourth consecutive government— pensated for their expertise, or whether lecturers albeit a minority—and the journey of Paul Mar- are being seen and used as a cheaper substitute for tin (the architect of many of the cuts to social pro- full professors in the rush to slash budgets. And it grams) from Finance Minister to backbencher to explores the steps taken to promote equity on cam- Prime Minister, this year’s report includes a broader puses and in the wider communities—without federal analysis. treating diversity as a cash cow, as seen in the sky- Canadian provinces continue to demonstrate rocketing tuition fees charged to international stu- a wide range of positions, choices and policies in dents. providing higher education to the populace. How- Again, all the data included in this edition is ever, while the role of the federal government is new, and we have added a number of new provin- not reflected in the provincial comparisons we hope cial comparisons to ensure that this snapshot of the longer article in this report