Report on the Budget 2027 Consultations

On June 15, the OCSU presented to the BC Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services as part of the provincial budget consultation process. Every year, we advocate directly for students during the annual consultation, speaking up for post-secondary education directly to provincial decision-makers.

This year we provided recommendations and priorities to the government on exactly what should be part of the provincial budget for next year. As student representatives we have clear goals: post-secondary education that offers high value, low costs and is accessible to all students regardless of region or income. 

This year our recommendations included: 

• Maintaining the 2% tuition fee limit for domestic students

• Restoring public funding to 75% of institutional operating budget

We shared stories of how OC students are impacted by the current state of an underfunded post-secondary system and provided examples of how campus closures and forced pivots to online learning harm a student's educational experience.

Since our presentation, the Report on the Budget 2027 Consultations has been published, and here are the Post-Secondary and Skills Training Recommendations:

The Committee recommends to the Legislative Assembly that the provincial government:

62. Prioritize funding to support post-secondary institutions to meet local and regional workforce development priorities.

63. Advocate to the federal government to accelerate visa processing times and provide greater flexibility regarding Provincial Attestation Letters to help address labour shortages in high-priority sectors across the province.

64. Maintain the Tuition Limit Policy of two percent for domestic post-secondary education students and end fee circumvention.

65. Provide equitable operating funding to reflect the increased costs of delivering post-secondary education in rural and remote communities.

Click here to view the full report. The Post-Secondary Education (PSE) recommendations begin on page 80.

We urge you to join us in our efforts to restore funding and protect students' rights to access post-secondary education by visiting cutssuck.ca and sending a message to your MLA, and support the campaign for improved investment in public post-secondary education.

In solidarity,

-OCSU