Colleges Ontario President and CEO Maureen Adamson notes in a letter to the editor in The Globe and Mail (Oct. 23, 2026), that public colleges and polytechnics should be distinguished from other educational institutions in discussions about immigration.
ON EDUCATION
Re. “Mark Carney has started fixing immigration. He needs to keep at it” (Report on Business, Oct. 9): This column’s characterization of public colleges overlooks essential distinctions.
Ontario’s 24 public colleges and polytechnics are publicly funded, publicly accountable institutions governed by rigorous quality assurance frameworks. Their mandate is to deliver high quality, career-focused education that meets the needs of students, communities and employers.
Grouping public colleges among educational institutions described as “good, bad or awful” obscures that public mandate and accountability. Describing them as participants in a “cash grab” selling entry to Canada dismisses the education students receive and 60 years of contributions by public college graduates, whose skills have strengthened Ontario’s work force and powered its economy.
A fair discussion about international students and immigration policy should recognize these differences and the long-standing role of public colleges and polytechnics in educating students, expanding opportunity and supporting Ontario’s economic prosperity.
Maureen Adamson,
President and CEO, Colleges Ontario
Toronto