1-in-3 Canadian university students fear formal consequences for expressing honest viewpoints in class

From the Fraser Institute

By Matthew D. Mitchell and Michael Zwaagstra

As university students across Canada head back to campuses, a new Leger poll, commissioned for the Fraser Institute, shows 37 per cent of self-described right-leaning students and even 30 per cent of self-described left-leaning students fear formal consequences—including lower grades—if they express a viewpoint in class that conflicts with what is considered the “safe” stance on controversial topics.

“When students attend university, it is assumed that they will encounter a broad array of opinions, and that differing views will be discussed, contested and debated openly. But that’s not happening at campuses across Canada, according to the students themselves,” said Matthew D. Mitchell, senior fellow with the Fraser Institute and coauthor of Canadian Students Are Getting a One-Sided University Education.

The study, based on the new Leger poll commissioned by the Fraser Institute, finds:

– 58 per cent of right-leaning students and 51 per cent of left-leaning students believe that there is a “safe” political view on controversial topics discussed in university classes.

– 37 per cent of right-leaning students, 33 per cent of centre-leaning students and 30 per cent of left-leaning students fear experiencing formal consequences— including having their grades lowered—for expressing honest views during class discussions.

– 40 per cent of right-leaning students and 35 per cent of left-leaning students feel constrained in being able to ask questions, offer unconventional thoughts, or challenge current norms on controversial issues.

– 50 per cent of right-leaning students and 36 per cent of left-leaning students said they felt uncomfortable expressing their honest opinions based on the political views of their professor.

– And 85 per cent of right-leaning students and even 45 per cent of left-leaning students believe that their professors advocate a leftist viewpoint.

“Students should never be afraid to ask tough questions, express their honest opinions or challenge conventional views in class,” said study co-author Michael Zwaagstra. “These findings raise serious questions about the quality of university education Canadian students are receiving.”

The Leger poll surveyed 985 undergraduate students and 215 graduate students online from May 1 to May 22, 2025. The margin of error is +/-2.8%, 19 times out of 20.

Canadian Students Are Getting a One-Sided University Education

A new survey finds that right-leaning university students feel considerably more restricted than left-leaning students in expressing their views during class discussions. They are fearful of consequences such as their formal grades being lowered for having the “wrong” opinion.
Left-leaning political viewpoints are dominant on university campuses. Fifty-five percent of students describe their political views as left-leaning, while only 15% consider themselves right-leaning.
A majority of students, both right-leaning and left-leaning, believe that there is a “safe” political view on controversial topics discussed in university classes.
Forty-two percent of right-leaning students said that they experienced a classroom environment at university that limited discussion and questions on controversial topics to only one side of the argument. In contrast, only 29% of left-leaning students had this experience.
Among students who say their professors advocate a view, eighty-three percent of right-leaning students feel their professors promoted a left viewpoint, while 45% of left-leaning students feel the same way. Few students, left, centre, or right, believe their professors promote a right viewpoint.
Among right-leaning students who feared experiencing formal consequences for expressing the “wrong” viewpoint during class discussions, 74% feared that the professor might lower their grades.

Matthew D. Mitchell

Senior Fellow in the Centre for Human Freedom, Fraser Institute

Michael Zwaagstra

Senior Fellow, Fraser Institute

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Alberta

Teacher strikes should never happen in Alberta

Published on September 4, 2025

Todayville

From the Fraser Institute

By Michael Zwaagstra

In Manitoba, teachers voluntarily gave up the right to strike in the 1950s in exchange for binding arbitration. There’s no evidence this decision harmed Manitoba’s education system. In fact, salaries for Manitoba teachers are currently among the highest in the country.

Alberta students are back in school. But for how long?

That’s an open question, because Alberta teachers are currently in a legal strike position. In June, almost 95 per cent of public school teachers voted to authorize strike action. With talks breaking off recently between the Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association (which represents school boards in the province) and the Alberta Teachers’ Association (which represents teachers in all Alberta public, separate and francophone schools), prospects for a negotiated settlement don’t look good.

The dispute between the two sides is mainly about money. According to the union, the Alberta government is woefully underfunding public education, teacher salaries are too low, classes are too big, and schools lack basic education supplies. The government, of course, disputes these claims and argues that school boards receive more than enough money to educate all students.

Which side is right?

It depends on how you interpret the numbers. While per-student spending in Alberta is lower than the Canadian average, student academic achievement in math, science and reading is well above the Canadian average. There’s no reason to assume that spending more money will automatically lead to better academic results.

Even so, neither side is likely to budge. That’s unfortunate because the people most impacted by a potential strike (students and parents) are without a voice in this dispute. Regardless of which side has the better case, students and their parents will suffer the most during a strike.

This is why Alberta public school teachers shouldn’t have the right to strike. Instead, unresolved labour disputes should automatically go to binding arbitration, where a neutral third party listens to both sides make their respective cases, and then draws up a new collective agreement. Throughout this process students would remain in class and their learning would continue.

Binding arbitration is already a widely accepted way to settle labour disputes. For example, essential workers such as police officers and firefighters regularly use binding arbitration to settle their labour disputes. Given the essential nature of educating students, it’s reasonable to add teachers to this list.

Significantly, there’s precedent for moving in this direction. In Manitoba, teachers voluntarily gave up the right to strike in the 1950s in exchange for binding arbitration. There’s no evidence this decision harmed Manitoba’s education system. In fact, salaries for Manitoba teachers are currently among the highest in the country. Instead of walking a picket line trying to pressure the provincial government to give in to their demands, Manitoba teachers—and students—remain in the classroom until binding arbitration produces a settlement.

In addition, binding arbitration can be used to address more than salary disputes. For example, after a bitter year-long series of intermittent teacher strikes and work-to-rule action, the Saskatchewan government and the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) agreed earlier this year to use binding arbitration to resolve the thorny issue of “classroom complexity”—essentially, how to support students with complex needs. The STF was happy when the Arbitration Board’s final decision placed specific requirements on the province to address the classroom complexity issue.

Imagine how much better it would have been if Saskatchewan students and parents hadn’t suffered a year of labour uncertainty prior to this decision. And of course, teachers lost pay because of the intermittent strikes. Had their labour dispute gone to binding arbitration right away, Saskatchewan teachers would have received reasonable salary increases and a framework for addressing classroom complexity, all without threatening to strike.

Back in Alberta, parents are scrambling to make contingency plans for how they will look after their children if public schools close because of a teacher strike. Alberta has an opportunity to learn from what has happened elsewhere. Students and parents deserve the certainty of knowing that schools will remain open. Teacher strikes should never happen in Alberta. The Smith government should classify teachers as an essential service, and unresolved labour issues should be sent to binding arbitration.

Michael Zwaagstra is a senior fellow with the Fraser Institute.

Education

Spending per K-12 student in Canada ranged from $13,494 in Alberta to $19,484 in Quebec in 2022/23

Published on August 30, 2025

Todayville

From the Fraser Institute

By Michael Zwaagstra, Max Shang and Milagros Palacios

Spending per student (kindergarten to grade 12) in Canada ranged from a low of $13,494 in Alberta to a high of $19,484 in Quebec in 2022/23, finds a
new study published by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.

Most people—parents included—don’t understand how much is being spent educating students in public schools across Canada, which is critical before parents begin to evaluate whether they’re getting good value for the money,” said Michael Zwaagstra, senior fellow with the Fraser Institute and co-author of Education Spending in Public Schools in Canada, 2025 Edition.

The study finds that inflation adjusted per student spending on public schools in Canada increased nationally by 5.9 per cent over between 2013/14 and 2022/23. A different way to think about this increase in spending is to analyze how much was required to offset changes in student enrolment and inflation. The analysis shows that over this time period (2013/14 to 2022/23) an additional $6.5 billion was spent over and above what was needed to compensate for more students and inflation.

The spending analysis also includes different categories such as compensation, capital and other spending as categorized by Statistics Canada. Compensation (salaries, wages, fringe benefits, and pensions) contributed the most to the total growth in spending on public schools from 2013/14 to 2022/23.

In total, Quebec experienced the largest increase at 40.6 per cent. Prince Edward Island (14.5 per cent) and Nova Scotia (10.8 per cent) experienced the next largest increases in spending per student, while Saskatchewan (-14.8 per cent), Alberta (-17.5 per cent), and Newfoundland & Labrador (-11.2 per cent) were the only provinces to experience meaningful declines during this same period.

“When it comes to our children’s education, it’s important to understand exactly what’s happening with spending in public schools, and, most importantly, to question how the money spent is being put to use,” said Zwaagstra.

Per student spending in public schools across the provinces 2022/23

Province Per-student dollars

Canada 16,579

Quebec 19,484
Prince Edward Island 17,475
New Brunswick 17,346
Manitoba 17,036
Nova Scotia 16,800
Ontario 16,164
Saskatchewan 15,774
British Columbia 15,116
Newfoundland &Labrador 14,190
Alberta 13,494

Education Spending in Public Schools in Canada, 2025 Edition

Total education spending in public schools over the last 10 years increased from $63.0 billion in 2013/14 to $88.4 billion in 2022/23, a nominal increase of 40.3%.
Per-student spending adjusted for inflation (price changes), increased by 5.9% nationally from 2013/14 to 2022/23.
The highest inflation-adjusted spending increases (per student) occurred in the provinces of Quebec (40.6%), Prince Edward Island (14.5%), Nova Scotia (10.8%), and British Columbia (9.3%).
Five provinces experienced decreases in inflation-adjusted per-student spending—Alberta (17.5%), Saskatchewan (14.8%), Newfoundland & Labrador (11.2%), Manitoba (3.0%), and Ontario (1.7%).
Quebec had the second lowest level of per-student spending in public schools in 2013/14 and now has the highest. Prince Edward Island went from seventh in per-student spending to second highest.
On the other hand, Saskatchewan went from the highest in per-student spending to seventh, and Alberta went from fifth highest to tenth, the lowest.
Even though British Columbia recorded the fourth-highest growth in adjusted per-student spending, it still ranks eighth in per-student spending in Canada.
Student enrolment across Canada increased by an average of 5.6% from 2013/14 to 2022/23. Only Newfoundland & Labrador saw a decrease in enrolment (4.9%).
Compensation remains the largest and costliest aspect of education spending and has contributed the largest portion to the growth of total education spending in Canada.

READ THE FULL STUDY