Ford says protesters against changes to Ontario’s student aid program should be ‘thanking the government’

Ontario Premier Doug Ford called students who protested Ontario Student Assistance Program changes and tuition hikes "naive" on Monday — likening them to "sheep" who blindly follow "looney tunes" on social media.

Post-secondary students across Ontario walked out of classes to protest grant cuts, tuition hikes

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Ford: Students protesting OSAP cuts should be 'thanking the government'

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Ontario Premier Doug Ford called students who protested Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) changes and tuition hikes "naive" on Monday — likening them to "sheep" who blindly follow what "looney tunes" post on social media.

Ford was speaking at an unrelated news conference Monday morning when he was asked about last week's "Hands Off Our Education!" campaign protests, which took place on several campuses across Ontario, including York University, the University of Guelph, Trent University and University of Windsor.

The protests came after the province lifted a seven-year tuition freeze earlier in the year, and announced changes to OSAP in February, citing "unsustainable" costs, that cut the amount of grant funding students could receive through the program.

"These kids are so naive," he said. "They should be … thanking the government for just investing."

Ford went on to say the post-secondary students should be focused on "getting a job of the future," in fields like STEM and health care.

"They read the social media and half the people on social media [are] a bunch of looney tunes," he said. "They all run out like sheep.

"Give your head a shake, kids."

• Post-secondary students across Ontario walk out of classrooms to protest OSAP changes, tuition hike

• Ford says he feels 'badly' for students caught up in his government's career college OSAP pause

Instead of walking out, students should remain in class, Ford said, adding Canada has "incredible students."

"The ones that study, you're going to be successful because the number one thing you need when you leave university or college is a good paying job," he said. "We have the brightest students in the world as far as I'm concerned."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gabriela Silva Ponte has been with CBC Toronto since January 2025. Currently, she works as a web writer, but has previously taken on a variety of reporting roles in ethnic media newsrooms and at Toronto Metropolitan University. Gabriela graduated from TMU with a Bachelor of Journalism. You can reach her at gabriela.silva.ponte@cbc.ca.