Statement from the Modern Commons Party on the Ontario College Support Staff Strike
The Modern Commons Party expresses its full solidarity with the more than 10,000 full-time college support staff across Ontario who have gone on strike as of September 11. These workers have been negotiating with the College Employer Council since June, seeking a contract that protects student supports, guarantees job security, and restores stability to the post secondary system.
Support staff perform over 150 essential roles—disability services; library technologists; student success coordinators; facilities and trades; co-op placement and financial aid; registrar functions; food services and more. Their work is foundational to ensuring students have a safe, accessible, well-resourced learning environment.
Their demands include:
safeguards against contracting out of services and replacement of staff work with AI;
an end to layoffs and program cuts;
protections for bargaining unit work;
full benefits parity, including dental, hearing, prescription coverage, and support for gender-affirmation care;
leave provisions for domestic violence, family care, and staff well-being;
increased provincial funding so that colleges can properly fulfill their mission to students.
While we recognize that post secondary education (and labour in colleges) is under provincial jurisdiction, the Modern Commons Party believes the issues here resonate deeply with our federal principles: fairness in work, safeguarding public education, and ensuring that all students have equitable opportunities. Strong colleges are not just local or provincial assets, they are critical to Canada’s future workforce, innovation, and civic life.
We call upon the College Employer Council and the Government of Ontario to return to the bargaining table in good faith. Let there be compromise, stability, and respect for those whose work keeps Ontario’s colleges and students afloat. The Modern Commons Party pledges to support policies that increase public investment in higher education, protect labour rights, and ensure accessible, high-quality post secondary systems.