Student leaders representing over 150,000 undergraduate students from across Ontario attended OUSA’s annual Student Advocacy Conference from November 15th to 19th, 2021. Delegates met with 46 MPPs from four political parties and sector stakeholders to discuss the future of post-secondary education in Ontario and advance OUSA’s advocacy priorities. Over five days, the student leaders discussed OUSA’s 5 priorities for the year: affordability, gender-based and sexual violence prevention and response, racial equity, and sector sustainability, and students with disabilities.
As we continue to navigate a new global environment due to COVID-19, OUSA recommends improvements to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP), survivor-centric and trauma-informed policies and initiatives to prevent and respond to gender-based and sexual violence, training and research to support racial equity, lowering institutional reliance on international student fees for funding, and meliorating access to accommodations for students with disabilities. Overall, OUSA received a tremendous amount of support from members and stakeholders.