NDP government silent and Langara lacking leadership as faculty return to mass layoffs
September 2, 2025
As faculty and students were gearing up for the start of term, Langara College announced a third round of layoffs: 69 full-time continuing faculty received layoff notice last week. Over 150 faculty had already lost jobs in the prior two rounds of layoffs, while countless temporary faculty have merely been told there is no work available for them. Entire departments and programs are disappearing. Amidst this devastating scene unfolding for faculty and students, Langara President Paula Burns hosted a town hall on the future of the College. All the while, the provincial NDP government continues to ignore the crisis it created in our sector.
“Faculty at Langara are appalled that our President held this PR stunt on the College’s so-called Future Focused plan during this unprecedented crisis,” said Langara Faculty Association (LFA) President Pauline Greaves Aylward. “We need answers about these layoffs and a plan to rebuild the reputation of Langara College. It was completely tone-deaf to hold an event like this while the College guts the ranks of faculty,” continued Greaves Aylward.
In January 2024, the federal government abruptly announced a 35% cut in new international student permits. In addition, the federal government subsequently changed regulations around post-graduation work permits and dramatically reduced the ability of international students to access pathways to permanent residency. This sudden, arbitrary policy shift has hit Langara particularly hard, as they had aggressively pursued international students with the support and encouragement of the provincial government.
“This reliance on international students was an explicit policy set out by the provincial government. Now that our members are in crisis, the government has amnesia about setting up this risky, unreliable model of funding,” said Brent Calvert, FPSE President. “The provincial government encouraged and enabled international student recruitment as a way of backfilling a lack of public funding. We believe the province now has an obligation to work with faculty and students on how we adjust to these changes,” concluded Calvert.
Unlike in provinces such as Ontario, the NDP government has ignored the plight of the post-secondary sector as jobs and programs disappear across BC. In response to a precipitous drop in international enrolment, the Ontario government set up a $1 billion emergency fund and increased core funding for colleges and universities in its last budget. FPSE is calling on the BC government to do the same for institutions in this province.
“Faculty who have worked their whole career to build this institution are stunned,” said Greaves Aylward. “At this time of crisis, we need leadership from the province and the College administration. Instead, we’re getting platitudes and PR spin. The LFA is asking the College administration to demonstrate their commitment to finding more creative solutions than simply laying off faculty, such as reducing senior administrative positions. I am worried for our students and all of the opportunities that they are losing due to program closures,” concluded Greaves Aylward.
For more information, please contact FPSE Executive Director Michael Conlon at (604) 873-8988 or info@fpse.ca.