Timmins MP hopes bill will prevent another LU crisis
Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus says he wants to make sure a disaster such as the Laurentian University insolvency never happens again.
He’s introduced a private members bill in the House of Commons, since LU declared insolvency under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act, a federal statute.
"Our concern is once you establish a precedent like this, it could be used in another situation,” Angus told CTV News.
His bill would ensure public institutions exhaust alternatives before declaring insolvency under the CCAA.
"Whether it’s hospitals, whether it’s universities, health care centres, that this can not be a tactic used by right-wing governments at the provincial government to undermine public investment in key institutions like what happened at Laurentian University,” he said.
Angus said administration at LU deliberately gutted programs and staff, them like ‘discarded items at a garage sale.’
Peter McInnis, of the Canadian Association of University Teachers Association, said it will take years to repair the damage.
“Just recently documents made clear that senior university administrators deliberately chose the CCAA to avoid paying out severance and pensions and to be able to conduct mass layoffs,” McInnis said.
“This was an engineered outcome to privilege the few over the many.”
Fabrice Colin, president of the Laurentian University Faculty Association, said what happened at LU caused “irreparable damage.”
“I’ve seen the lives of friends and colleagues shattered,” he said.
The second reading of the bill will happen at the end of January.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
BREAKING 14 suspects arrested in grandparent scam targeting seniors across Canada: Ontario police
An interprovincial investigation into an 'emergency grandparents scam' that targeted seniors across Canada has led to the arrest of 14 suspects, Ontario Provincial Police say.
Motion to allow keffiyehs at Ontario legislature fails
A motion to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh within Queen’s Park failed to receive unanimous consent Thursday just moments after Ontario Premier Doug Ford reiterated his view that prohibiting the garment in the House is divisive.
B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Juror dismissed in Trump hush money trial as prosecutors ask for former president to face contempt
Prosecutors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump asked Thursday for the former president to be held in contempt and fined because of seven social media posts that they said violated a judge's gag order barring him from attacking witnesses.
Why drivers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see a gas price spike, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
It's the biggest election in history. Here's why few Indians in Canada will take part
In the Indian general election that gets underway on Friday, almost a billion people are eligible to vote, but a vast majority of the overseas Indian community in Canada won't be casting a ballot.