Staff layoffs ‘potentially’ in Concordia’s future, says university president
A Senate meeting sees student protesters, confirms that the university won’t renew limited-term teaching contracts
Concordia University will not reconsider its nonrenewal of limited-term teaching contracts and will further consider potential layoffs due to its budget situation, university president Graham Carr confirmed in a Senate meeting on Feb. 6.
Carr said the university must continue its cost-reduction measures amid declining revenues, in part due to the Quebec government’s decision to maintain tuition hikes for out-of-province and international students at English universities.
“Unfortunately, the measures that we have introduced so far are in and of themselves insufficient to meet the full needs of our recovery program,” said Carr at Senate. “Which is why we're going to need to continue to take additional steps in the future, including potentially carrying out layoffs.”
Carr added that Concordia is still facing a deficit of approximately $12 million for this current academic year. He added that the university is still calculating how this year’s final enrollment will translate into direct and indirect revenue.
Quebec has also maintained the 33 per cent tuition hike on English-language programs despite a Quebec Superior Court ruling deeming them “unreasonable” and has said it will not seek court approval.
The Senate meeting saw a number of debates over the university’s non-renewal of LTA contracts.
In one instance, student Senate member Isabella Providenti raised concerns about whether certain specialty classes can continue without LTAs.
“Those are the classes that a lot of the LTAs are teaching in these special humanities and fine arts programmes, [which] bring students in,” Providenti said. “It brought me in.”
Carr said next year, Concordia will maintain these specialized courses with part-time and full-time faculty members, and convert sabbaticals for full-time faculty members.
After the Senate meeting, a dozen students picketed outside the room in the EV building with signs, calling for the protection of LTA positions.
Evelyn Theodore Cuddihy was among the student protesters and said the meeting showed them how the university views its students and staff members.
“Our LTAs teach 42 per cent of our programs. They don't deserve to be here under horrible teaching conditions,” Cuddihy said.
Cuddihy, along with other protesters, held banners reading “Protect LTAs, protect our university,” and “Concordia, pay more, get less!” They also handed out flyers reading, “Graham, learn to share students' pay for your $547,623 salary,” to those who attended the meeting.
“I feel very frustrated,” said Lauren Kaplow, an LTA in classics and modern languages and linguistics. “It feels like the questions were being sidestepped. Several people asked, expressing student concerns about the LTA cuts. The answer was that courses weren't being cut, but there was nothing to address.”
Matthew Buell, an LTA in the same department, said he was similarly frustrated by how the questions were addressed.
“The administration has to look at everything on a case-by-case basis and not make blanket cuts across the university, because what may apply somewhere doesn't apply everywhere,” Buell said. “[There] has to be a clear and nuanced understanding of each department's needs.”
The next Senate meeting will be held on March 27, 2026.
