While the government is launching a consultation as part of the work to review the method of financing universities, the Université du Québec (UQ) notes that the portrait of the population with a university education in Quebec is cause for concern, and reaffirms all the importance of having a funded network that lives up to its ambitions.
Founded in 1968, UQ was created with the bold vision of making higher education accessible to all Quebecers by reducing geographic and economic barriers. Since then, the UQ network has played a decisive role in responding to current challenges in Quebec and has graduated more than 800,000 people in all regions and in all sectors of activity.
The UQ network plays a major role in promoting university education. Each year, approximately 100,000 students, nearly a third of the student population in Quebec, undertake university studies thanks to the quality and proximity of one of UQ’s ten establishments. In addition, more than half of UQ’s student population is made up of the first in their families to attend university, illustrating the significant contribution of UQ institutions to lives, families and communities.
Nearly 55 years after the creation of the UQ, the time is right to open a new chapter in the history of the UQ in which we invite the Government of Quebec to participate even more actively.
Graduation gap
In 2021, a third of the Quebec population aged 25 to 64 had a university degree, a proportion significantly lower than that of Ontario, which is close to 40%. This backlog has grown over the past 25 years. The Quebec average also conceals major disparities between regions in Quebec. Despite notable progress since the creation of the UQ network, only 21% of the population of Centre-du-Québec has a university degree, 20% in Abitibi-Témiscamingue or 19% in Gaspésie–Îles- of the Madeleine.
As we can see, access to higher education is not uniform, neither for the population as a whole nor between regions. More than 60 years after the Parent report, the great societal project to open the doors of universities to all those who wish to do so, regardless of their social, economic or territorial origins, is far from being completed. As the largest network of French-speaking universities in America, UQ institutions must imperatively be able to pursue their particular mission of accessibility to university education.
Funding structure
However, the UQ’s funding structure limits its ability to fully fulfill its mission throughout Quebec. However, its network of establishments is best positioned to take concrete action to reduce the gap in the percentage of the population holding a university degree with our neighbor Ontario and the rest of Canada. What is more, this gap continues to widen between the regions and the major centres, with direct and tangible repercussions on the development of skills and the availability of labour.
In concrete terms, the current funding arrangements mean that the UQ network suffers from a shortfall of more than $100 million per year to fulfill its fundamental mission. More than an expense, this amount represents an investment for the future of Québec. Every dollar invested in the UQ network directly stimulates the scientific, economic, social and cultural dynamism of Quebec and all its regions. Each graduate of the network participates in the social fabric of their community.
We are inevitably part of the solution to closing the graduation gap. The government will find in the UQ network a committed partner, a true spearhead of Québec’s development.
The University of Quebec is a key player in scientific, economic, social and cultural development for all of Quebec. By investing in its success, we are investing in the collective future of all Quebecers.
*Co-signed this letter:
Stéphane Pallage, rector, UQAM
Christian Blanchette, rector, UQTR
Ghislain Samson, rector, UQAC
François Deschênes, rector, UQAR
Murielle Laberge, Rector, UQO
Vincent Rousson, rector, UQAT
Luc-Alain Giraldeau, Director General, INRS
Hugo Cyr, Managing Director, ENAP
François Gagnon, General Manager, ÉTS
Lucie Laflamme, Executive Director, TÉLUQ University