Selkirk College is asking its staff whether it should participate in Canada’s defence industrial strategy.
Announced in February by Prime Minister Mark Carney, the idea is to pour $180 billion into defence procurement and $290 billion into defence-related capital investments over the course of a decade, which the government says is aimed at “rebuilding, rearming, and reinvesting” in the Canadian Armed Forces while reducing the country’s dependent on foreign suppliers.
According to a statement on Selkirk’s website, colleges have been identified as “key partners” for Canada’s defence plans because they can train people to provide skills so employers can hire locally; they can help turn new technologies into products by doing applied research, building prototypes, and testing ideas; and they can help communities strengthen emergency readiness.
“The college is conducting a survey among its internal community about the implications of the college’s potential participation,” the statement said. “No decisions on the college’s involvement will be made until the survey closes and the results have been compiled and reviewed.
The statement added: “Any steps we take will ultimately be guided by our mission, academic integrity and our commitments to long-term sustainability.”
Selkirk College declined to make president Maggie Matear available for an interview on the subject while the survey remains open. Communications co-ordinator Claire Philipson said there is no timeline for a decision, but it will be made using feedback from the college community.
Faculty association president Takaia Larsen said they have not taken an official position but are encouraging “wide participation in the consultation process on this topic, including sending responses to the survey sent out by the college.”
The Selkirk College Students’ Union didn’t reply to a request for comment.
The college was saddled with a deficit last year due to a decline in international enrollment, caused by the federal government’s decision to reduce immigration targets. Selkirk’s cost-cutting response has included closing the Nakusp and Kaslo campuses as well as the Kootenay Studio Arts campus in Nelson, suspending several programs, and losing more than 40 employees through a combination of layoffs, not rewewing contrats, early retirements, and attrition.
