In recent weeks, Quebec’s provincial government announced a massive tuition hike for out-of-province students. This has resulted in a near-doubling of the minimum tuition from $9,000 to $17,000. The Premier says this move is nothing against anglophones, but rather a move to protect French. Opponents of the move have pointed to the fact that all this will do is drive prospective students away from the province. Valérie Plante, the Mayor of Montreal, said all the hike will do is send more students to Toronto. Quebec’s Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), led by Premier François Legault, has held a majority government since 2018. Any decision taken by them is therefore exceedingly difficult to overturn.
The protection of the French language by the state has long been a topic of debate in Quebec. In 1977, the Parti Québecois instituted Bill 101 which prioritized the French language across most government institutions. It created moderate regulations to ensure at least the equivalent prominence of French in most businesses and narrowed the criteria delineating who could attend an English public school. Mr. Legault’s government amended the bill in June 2022 to further enforce the language in business and municipal politics. Mr. Legault’s amendments proved extremely popular in francophone communities of the province but were more divisive in anglophone communities.
In my program at McMaster University, tuition for undergraduate out-of-province students is approximately 8% higher than in-province students. Tuition for McMaster engineering is approximately 13% more expensive as an out-of-province student; Quebec’s new fees will make it about 560% more expensive to come from out-of-province as compared to a student from Quebec. All this will do is punish out-of-province students seeking to access one of Canada’s great education hubs. Universities most affected include McGill, Concordia, and Bishop’s, three English-majority institutions. If I were still an Ontarian student deciding where to get my undergraduate degree, I would balk at studying in Quebec for $17,000 when, for example, I could attend UBC’s most expensive undergraduate program (Architecture) for $9,400. The institutions lose out on bright students, and students miss the opportunity to study somewhere best suited for them. As a bilingual student, I must acknowledge that this decision to gouge out-of-province students is short-sighted and heartbreaking.
As a proud bilingual Canadian, my disappointment in this decision is immeasurable. I have spent considerable chunks of my life in Quebec; I have paddled its rivers with my beloved summer camp, worked on its farmland, and spent a summer working in the heart of Quebec City. I have made great friends and memories for a lifetime. It is an incredible province that has a special place in my heart. Raising tuition for non-Quebec francophones like me and non-Quebec anglophones robs Canadian youth of an opportunity to expand their horizons and appreciate one of the marvelous, unique places in our nation. I feel for my peers who, because of this decision, may never have an opportunity to be immersed in “la belle province”. When the dust settles, all this decision will do is weaken Canada’s already fraying national unity. In 2023, our “two solitudes” continue to grow ever further apart.
About the author: David Landry is a third-year student in the Arts and Science program. He is interested in Canadian politics and environmental issues. He has had the fortune to travel extensively around Canada and strives to incorporate those perspectives into his writing. As an avid canoe-camper, he loves to explore Canada's lakes and rivers by way of the paddle.
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