On October 17th, CUSA met with the Member of Provincial Parliament for Ottawa Centre, Joel Harden. In line with CUSA’s Advocacy Roadmap, our Advocacy Team did a presentation outlining three of its advocacy priorities in supporting international students: Tuition Guarantee, Access to Mental Health Services, and Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) Requirements.
We presented the concept of Tuition Guarantee — a guarantee on behalf of the university that the tuition fees that a student shall pay in a program should be made fixed throughout their studies, therefore making costs and budgeting predictable for both the student and the university — to Mr. Harden. We explained our priorities regarding accessibility and diversity in mental health and counseling services and outlined how we expect to help outgoing graduates access OINP resources. Mr. Harden asked pertinent questions and made suggestions on how to coordinate advocacy efforts with the government.
