The Legault government’s plan to double tuition fees for students from other provinces to protect French proficiency in Quebec could lead to the loss of 700 jobs at McGill University.
At least that’s what the university’s rector and vice-chancellor Deep Saini suggested, who called the government action “a threat to the culture of McGill University” in a message sent to students and staff on Thursday.
Canadian students outside Quebec pay about $9,000 per session for their studies, an amount that is expected to rise to $17,000. English-speaking universities are therefore expecting a decline in enrollment numbers.
As for McGill, we expect the number of Canadian students outside Quebec to decline by 20% to 80%, which would represent a deficit of $17.6 million to $69.8 million.
“Given the financial turmoil caused by the announced tuition fee changes, measures must be taken including a hiring freeze, potentially reducing the number of jobs by 650 to 700, postponing planned spending and implementing further cuts in spending are not linked to remuneration,” explained Mr. Saini.
Faculties and teams at risk
The university landscape will change without Canadian students outside Quebec. According to the manager, the survival of the Schulich music school is in danger, while certain faculties such as agricultural and environmental sciences and educational sciences will be severely affected.
Because a third of the members of McGill’s sports teams – the Redbirds and the Martlets – come from outside the province, they too will suffer and some could be disbanded, Deep Saini said.
“McGill University remains committed to working with the Government of Quebec to find more effective solutions that will enable it to achieve its goals of promoting and protecting the French language while consolidating the province’s university network,” assured the leader.
Quebec plans to increase tuition fees for Canadian students outside Quebec starting in fall 2024. The government aims to correct a financial imbalance between the French-speaking and English-speaking university networks to address the decline in French, according to the CAQ.