I came to Quebec to study at the University of Montreal as an immigrant who had spent his entire life in Canada, in Alberta. With the new pricing for out-of-province students, this move will be more difficult for people who, like me, want to learn French, immerse themselves in Quebec culture and establish their home here.
I moved to Canada from Ukraine in 2015 and completed my high school and bachelor’s degree in Alberta. As I neared the end of my degree in international studies, I chose political science as the area of study for my master’s degree. I considered it essential for a political science student in Canada to speak French and understand the politics and culture of Quebec. I studied French self-taught for two years and was admitted to the professional political science program in international and public affairs at the University of Montreal.
My time spent in Montreal was essential for me to understand the history, political opinions and current issues of Quebec society. Studying alongside Quebecers and French-speaking immigrants from around the world helped me improve my French and discover perspectives that I would not have learned if I had studied in Toronto or Ottawa. My teachers were Thomas Mulcair, John Parisella, Pierre Martin, and many political science experts who all contributed to the development of Quebec and French-language education.
As president of the International Association of Political Science Students, I have contributed to the political science sphere in Montreal by hosting the World Congress of Political Science Students in May 2023 and opening our organization’s office in Concordia University. I hope that Montreal will become a global center of influence for the teaching of political science in the future. After all, as a city full of international talent, it is destined to be the economic and cultural jewel of Quebec.
My experience will not be feasible for the students who come after me.
I will not be affected by the tuition hike that comes into effect next year, but I am deeply upset by the magnitude of the changes to come. I do not meet the various criteria to benefit from lower tuition fees. I am neither French nor Belgian, who benefit from the same prices on higher education as residents of Quebec. I am of Ukrainian origin and I chose to study French in Quebec. I am not enrolled in a research program, because I chose a professional master’s degree thinking that I could contribute to the city of Montreal and the province of Quebec with my professional skills. My political science degree program is offered elsewhere in Canada, but the quality of political science education I receive here is immeasurable. All the new changes announced by the Quebec government would have had a direct impact on me if I had come to study here a few years later.
I am convinced that I am not a unique case. There are many students across Canada who wish to study in French in Quebec and who will be dissuaded by the new prices. Nearly 500,000 students in Canada are enrolled in French immersion programs — they are the potential future students of Quebec’s French-speaking universities. They may want to study social or natural sciences, professional or research programs, which are already offered elsewhere in Canada. But here, the advantage of these programs is that they are offered in French. People wishing to study in a French-speaking society do not have to pay more.
Quebec’s economic future is anchored in individuals
The desire to increase the flow of money sent to Quebec universities is understandable and fair. But we will not be able to increase university revenues by making it more difficult for people who want to study in French to come. Foreign students and those from outside the province should not be considered as holders of large portfolios, but as the future human capital of Quebec. These people bring their skills, their knowledge of French (or improve it while studying here) and the desire to succeed in their lives in this unique corner of North America. The government should encourage them to come, not discourage them by treating students as temporary sources of income. Otherwise, these students will become permanent economic assets for other provinces.