Conestoga College President John Tibbits appeared before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration last week to answer questions related to the international student program. CBC reports that Tibbits was challenged by MPs about the college’s role in increasing international enrolment and the intensified issues around affordability and housing in the Waterloo region. Tibbits stated that the college was “encouraged to grow” in Kitchener, Guelph, Brantford, and Milton and was asked to help solve the problem of job vacancies in the province. “It was not the money. That’s not why we grew the international program,” said Tibbits. “We grew [the program] because we don’t have domestic students to fill the jobs in our region.”
