The Progressive Conservatives are ending mandatory ancillary student fees to tackle the red menace.

That's the message of the governing party's latest fundraising email blast sent Monday titled "How broken was education?"

"Students were forced into unions and forced to pay for those unions," Premier Doug Ford said of the fees that bankroll student government.

"I think we all know what kind of crazy Marxist nonsense student unions get up to. So, we fixed that. Student union fees are now opt-in," said Ford.

The move last month, which was hailed by Conservatives and panned by student groups, was in conjunction with the government's 10 per cent post-secondary tuition cut and revamp of the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP).

"For all of their talk, the Liberals never lowered tuition. So, we did. We cut tuition by 10 per cent across the board," the premier said.

"What are the Liberals saying about it now? That we're gutting the system. These guys are nuts," he said.

"Take OSAP. A family bringing in $170,000 a year was still getting $2,000 in grants. Sorry folks, but government grants should be for people who need it most. So, we fixed that too."

Student fees, which can add as much as $2,000 a year to post-secondary costs, fund numerous on-campus activities and clubs, including newspapers.

Only programs that support transit, health and wellness — like athletics, walk-safe programs or counselling — and career services will be mandatory.

Read more:

Free-tuition program is gone, tuition reduced and student fees are no longer mandatory, Ford government announces

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Ontario to cut tuition fees by 10 per cent

Robert Benzie is the Star's Queen's Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie

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