Dear members of the McGill community,
This morning, Concordia University President Graham Carr, Bishop’s University Principal Sébastien Lebel-Grenier and I met with Premier François Legault and the Minister of Higher Education, Pascale Déry, to discuss the Quebec government’s announced tuition measures impacting university financing.
The Premier reiterated his government’s primary objective of halting the decline of French in Quebec. We fully support this objective, recognizing that the French language in Quebec is threatened. We also expressed our deep concerns that the tuition measures, if implemented, would deal a major blow to our three universities and diminish the available pool of talent for Quebec businesses.
My colleagues and I proposed solutions, which are listed below, to fulfil the government’s objectives regarding the protection and the promotion of the French language, in a way that does not hamper our universities’ ability to fulfill our mission and serve Quebec.
Following our one-hour meeting in which my colleagues and I had a frank and open discussion with the Premier and the Minister, the government committed to reflecting on our proposal and getting back to us in the coming days.
President Carr, Principal Lebel-Grenier and I proposed the following:
1. Implement, within three years, a range of initiatives to help non-francophone students from outside Quebec integrate linguistically and culturally into the workforce and society. The objective would be to ensure at least 40 percent of non-francophone undergraduate students attain a Level 6 proficiency in French on the Quebec scale before graduation.
These initiatives would include:
- A substantial increase in French as a second language offerings for international and Canadian students who come from outside Quebec, including required courses and activities
- Increased internship and co-op opportunities in French
- Services and activities designed to facilitate integration into professional life after graduation, including preparation for exams required to be accepted into a professional order in Quebec
- Activities promoting a greater understanding of Quebec’s unique culture
2. For Canadian students from outside Quebec, maintain the current tuition, subject to indexation.
3. Work with other universities in Quebec, as well as the Ministry of Higher Education, to find alternative ways to balance university financing with regard to international student tuition that maintain the health and sustainability of the entire Quebec university system.
You can read our full proposal here.
I look forward to continuing to work with the government of Quebec, my colleagues from Concordia and Bishop’s, and my colleagues from all Quebec universities to find solutions that will allow us all to meet our objectives -- to build an even stronger and more vibrant university system that will help protect and promote the French language, and help us build a more prosperous Quebec.
Sincerely,
Deep Saini
Principal and Vice-Chancellor
McGill University