Reann speaking about Bill 7

Описание: Madam Speaker,

British Columbia has built a global reputation as a destination for world-class education. Students travel from every corner of the world to study here, build futures, support families back home, and contribute to our communities.

International education is not a small program. It is a multi-billion-dollar sector that supports jobs, strengthens communities, enriches classrooms, and connects British Columbia to the world.

But where there is growth, there must also be accountability. Where vulnerable students are navigating a foreign system, there must be protection. And when government proposes new regulatory powers, there must be careful scrutiny.

Bill 7, the **Postsecondary International Education Designated Institutions Act**, replaces the previous Education Quality Assurance framework with a statutory designation system.

The stated goal is to protect international students and safeguard British Columbia’s reputation. Madam Speaker, that is a goal we support.

We support credible oversight.
We support removing bad actors.
And we support protecting international students from exploitation.

But we must also examine whether this bill strikes the right balance. Because while protection is essential, so too is fairness. While oversight is necessary, so too is due process.

This legislation shifts oversight from a policy framework into law. That change is structural. Under this bill, institutions must hold a designation certificate to enroll international students, backed by inspection powers, cancellation authority, and reapplication bans.

The criteria for designation appear reasonable on the surface—continuity of programs, clear information to students, and a safe learning environment. But the bill also allows the administrator to consider any other factors they consider relevant.

That is extremely broad. When criteria are open-ended, discretion expands, predictability diminishes, and institutions face uncertainty.

Clause 8 also allows the administrator to amend or impose conditions on a designation certificate **at any time**. Institutions plan years ahead—staffing, recruitment, housing, and partnerships. If conditions can shift without clear thresholds, that creates instability.

Accountability must be paired with clarity.

The bill also introduces significant enforcement powers. Inspectors may enter business premises during business hours without a warrant, inspect records, and question individuals.

Oversight is necessary, but it must remain targeted and proportionate.

Clause 18 allows cancellation of designation and bars reapplication for up to three years. In a sector built on long recruitment cycles, that can effectively end an institution’s international program.

Clause 21 establishes an appeal process, but filing an appeal does *not* pause the decision. An institution could lose its designation immediately—even while appealing.

Madam Speaker, due process is not just the right to appeal; it is the right to a meaningful appeal. If operations collapse before an appeal is heard, what remedy remains?

Students are also affected. International students are not statistics. They are young people navigating a foreign system—often far from family support. When enforcement action occurs, communication must be clear and coordinated so students are not left in uncertainty.

The bill also creates a public directory of institutions and allows publication of enforcement actions, including certain personal information. Transparency is important, but reputational damage can be permanent—especially if decisions are later overturned.

Madam Speaker, international education is not merely an economic driver. It is a human story. It is a student arriving in Vancouver for the first time. It is a family investing their savings in tuition. It is a young person hoping to build a future here.

We must protect them. That responsibility is shared by all of us.

But protection must be grounded in fairness, predictability, and transparency.

British Columbia’s reputation depends not only on removing bad actors, but on demonstrating that our system is balanced and just.

If we strike that balance—protecting students while ensuring fair processes—we will strengthen trust in our system and ensure British Columbia remains a place where quality, accountability, and opportunity coexist.

Thank you, Madam Speaker.