A fundraising email from the premier to party members has fired up opposition politicians and students groups.

(Chris Young/Canadian Press)

The Ford government’s announced it’s making some fees paid by college and university students optional instead of mandatory.

”Students were forced into unions and forced to pay for those unions.  I think we all know what kind of crazy Marxist nonsense student unions get up to,” writes Doug Ford, who also says ”it’s little things … but they add up.”

NDP critic Chris Glover says the government’s attacking student unions because it does not want them to be able to organize to fight against, not only this round of cuts, but the next round as well.

The Canadian Federation of Students says Ford’s e-mail suggests the government’s changes to certain student fees were made for political reasons.

The PC party and premier’s office had not immediately commented on Ford’s e-mail.