FAQ

Bill 33 is the Ford Government’s most recent attempt to dismantle education in the province. For post-secondary education, the bill proposes changes to ancillary and levy fee collection, changes to enrolment procedures under the guise of “merit-based admissions” and severely restricts the autonomy of campuses.

Read more about Bill 33 here.

At this time, no.

In 2019, the Federation alongside the York Federation of Students took the provincial government to court twice and won both at the Ontario Divisional Courts and Court of Appeal levels, where the Student Choice Initiative (SCI) was deemed unlawful as it was a policy and not a legislation. Bill 33 aims to create legislation, providing the provincial government with a legal avenue to continue its attacks on education; therefore, at this time, a legal challenge will not be beneficial.

The Student Choice Initiative (SCI) was a policy that allowed post-secondary education students to either opt-in or opt-out of what the provincial government deemed as non-essential ancillary fees. It was, however, deemed unlawful by the courts.

Bill 33 is the provincial government’s attempt to address their mistakes by legislating and legalizing their unilateral power over post-secondary institutions, by nullifying any prior legislation and campus precedent.

Student power has always threatened those in power, and we have witnessed countless attempts to weaken the student movement. 

Further, the crux of Bill 33 does not solely lie in the attempt to “regulate” ancillary fees. Through the language of ”merit-based admissions” and “research security”, this bill makes it abundantly clear that control of our campuses in a myriad of ways is the priority for this government. 

Our fight against Bill 33 includes both a campaign strategy and a government relations strategy. While lobbying the government can be helpful to get strategic policy changes, it cannot and will not be our only avenue to stop Bill 33. The Hands Off Our Education! campaign aims to continue building student power across the province while agitating and putting pressure on the government to reject Bill 33!

We are calling for the stopping of Bill 33 because we have and continue to witness the Ford government not only overstepping but undermining post-secondary education as a whole. If Bill 33 were to pass, it would allow the provincial government to have power over fees and admissions that are based on merit. This means that the provincial government would also have the power and control over the admission criteria, and we know, this government places profit over people.  

According to the provincial government, petitions must be written, typewritten, or printed. Emailed, faxed, photocopied, or online petitions are not allowed.

There is nothing good about Bill 33. Bill 33 was not done in consultation with any students, faculty or staff – the stakeholders who are actually affected by the passing of this bill. Bill 33 was never about improving the lives of anyone but to allow the provincial government to overstep and seize control and autonomy of institutions and student unions. Therefore, it is imperative that we reject Bill 33 as a whole.

Bill 33 is a sweeping legislation that targets the entirety of the education sector. At the primary and secondary levels, the bill seeks to revive the discontinued School Resource Officer (SRO) program, despite proving to be harmful in its initial iteration. We know that police presence in our schools and campuses will undoubtedly cause more harm, especially for Black, Indigenous and racialized students, as well as disabled and low-income students. Moreover, the bill also gives the province the power to take over school boards where it is deemed necessary, mirroring the tactics being used at the post-secondary level. 

While the Hands Off Our Education! campaign is primarily aimed at post-secondary education, we are proud to work with and amplify the work of a number of community groups, organizing to stop Bill 33 in the context of primary and secondary education! Bill 33 is ultimately an attack on ALL students and education as a whole – we must ALL be ready to fight back!

Look for some of our solidarity partners on the Endorsement page. 

No. Bill 33 was never about keeping anyone safe.

Bill 33 is intentionally overarching and expansive, targeting multiple branches of education all at once. In reality, it is a bill aimed to further defund, destabilize, and seize control over the public education sector.

The Federation has long taken a position calling for cops off campuses and classrooms – and the Ford government is doing the exact opposite of that. We know that cops in classrooms do nothing more than surveil and criminalize Black, Indigenous and racialized youth. Safer classrooms don’t lie in cops, they lie in resources, funding, and genuine supports for teachers, students, and communities.