Raising tuition fees for students from outside the province in English-language universities in Quebec is a “hard blow to Montreal’s international reputation,” according to Mayor Valérie Plante, who said she was “concerned” and “surprised” by the decision.
Posted at 12:47 p.m.
“We share the same concern to protect and promote the French language. “We are proud to be the French-speaking metropolis of America,” the mayor emphasized at a press conference on Wednesday. “But we can achieve this goal without depriving ourselves of the talent we need to drive the economy forward, such as in artificial intelligence. »
The presence of foreign students at Montreal’s English-speaking universities contributes to the dynamism of the city center and the economic vitality of Quebec as a whole, she added.
“The Quebec government needs to think more broadly,” she notes. Montreal’s reputation as a university city, as a welcoming city that wants to excel internationally on an economic level, is already under attack. »
“It is a government that loves the French language but also loves the economy, so I believe we can do both.” »
Ms. Plante said she feared the tuition increase would encourage more students to choose universities in Toronto instead of coming to Montreal to study.
The government must avoid limiting this issue to a war between French speakers and non-French speakers, she also argued.
Starting fall 2024, students from other provinces will have to pay annual tuition fees of about $17,000, almost double the current rate. Foreign students must pay at least $20,000, French Language Minister Jean-François Roberge announced last week.
The measure applies to Bachelor and Master students. Students from countries for which there are agreements, such as France and Belgium, are not affected. This also does not apply to French speakers outside Quebec who are studying in a program where an exemption applies.
Quebec plans to raise more than $110 million to invest in the network of French-language universities.