The Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) welcomes Reza Moridi as Ontario’s new Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities. A former Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities from 2007-2009, Minister Moridi will also serve Ontario’s Minister of Research and Innovation in Premier Kathleen Wynne’s new Cabinet.
“Since his election to the legislature in 2007, Minister Moridi has always made a point to meet with students to discuss their vision for Ontario’s post-secondary system,” said Jen Carter, OUSA President and Vice-President External of the University Students’ Council of Western University. “Students are eager to begin working with Minister Moridi to tackle the issues currently affecting undergraduate students in Ontario.”
With Ontario’s legislature slated to return on July 2, students look forward to begin working with Minister Moridi to address the rapidly rising cost of an undergraduate degree in the province. During the election, students advocated for improvements to be made to Ontario’s student financial assistance system, most notably the reallocation of $340M in ineffective tuition and education tax credits into more effective aid programs. Additional priorities students will be asking Minister Moridi to address include an extension of Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) eligibility to part-time students and an expansion of work-integrated learning programs such as co-op placements to students in underrepresented academic disciplines. To learn more about OUSA’s recent priorities, click here.
“Students would like to thank outgoing Minister Duguid for his service to Ontario’s higher education sector and wish him the best of luck in his new appointment as Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure,” continued Carter. “Minister Duguid has made a lasting and positive impact on Ontario’s post-secondary landscape and we are confident that he will bring this same dedication and passion to his new portfolio.”