Quebec’s increase in tuition fees for students from outside the province in English-speaking universities is a “hard blow to Montreal’s international reputation”, according to Mayor Valérie Plante, who said she was “worried” and “surprise” at this decision.
“We share the same concern to protect and promote the French language. We are proud to be the French-speaking metropolis of the Americas,” the mayor underlined Wednesday at a press briefing. “But we can accomplish this objective without depriving ourselves of the talents we need to drive the economy, for example in artificial intelligence. »
The presence of foreign students in Montreal’s English-speaking universities contributes to the dynamism of the city center and the economic vitality of all of Quebec, she added.
“The Quebec government must think more broadly,” she notes. Already, there is an attack on Montreal’s reputation as a university city, a welcoming city, which wants to stand out internationally at the economic level. »
“It’s a government that loves the French language, but also loves the economy, so I believe we can do both. »
Mme Plante said he fears that the increase in tuition fees will encourage more students to choose Toronto universities, rather than coming to study in Montreal.
The government must avoid limiting this issue to a war between French-speakers and non-French-speakers, she also argued.
Starting in the fall of 2024, students from other provinces will have to pay annual tuition fees of approximately $17,000, almost double the current rate. Foreign students will have to pay a minimum of $20,000, announced the Minister of the French Language, Jean-François Roberge, last week.
The measure applies to students from 1er cycle and 2e professional cycle. Students from countries for which there are agreements, such as France and Belgium, will not be affected. Neither do French speakers outside Quebec who study in a program benefiting from an exemption.
Quebec plans to raise more than $110 million to reinvest in the network of French-speaking universities.