I am speaking first to you, Premier Legault, you who are at the head of our province, you who were elected by Quebecers to represent our people. But I am also writing this letter to give a voice to all those who, like me, find themselves in a precarious situation because of their status as a student or young professional. To you, I say: let this text cheer you up, let it confirm and establish your claims, which are also mine. They are more than justified.
I am 22 years old, I am studying literature at the University of Quebec in Montreal. I live in the borough of Rosemont, with a roommate. The room I’m staying in costs me $602 monthly. My parents do not have enough income to contribute to my studies. In fact, financial aid for studies (AFE) allocates me an amount to pay the exorbitant costs of a full-time university semester.
Due to inflation, I work in a café to make ends meet, because the amounts allocated by AFE are now insufficient. This summer, I worked like a madman to pay my bills. Now student financial aid cut me amounts because I worked too much. Understand, Mr. Legault, that these overtime hours were intended to compensate for this increase in consumer prices.
And this increase does not seem to stop progressing. I am immersed in a student community where you have to prioritize work over studies if you just want to pay your rent and eat well. You now have to work in tip trades to make it to the end of the month, because traditional jobs are not enough. You have to work overtime, work at night, have two jobs, put aside your studies, ration yourself more than ever. Some even consider sex work.
In the meantime, is it allowed to dream? Can we afford the trips, the dining out, the consoling eccentricities? Now is not the time for celebrations. The state of our society does not encourage the least in the world to embark on a university course. Do not be surprised that enrollments are falling in universities.
Mr. Legault, disillusion yourself, the housing crisis is very real, in this cradle of the student community that is Montreal. Realize the financial precariousness that goes hand in hand with the living condition of a student. Understand the mismatch between the amounts allocated by AFE and the real financial needs of students.
Show that you are thinking of us, that you realize the difficulties related to studies, that you want to help us. Increase the amounts allocated to students, increase the minimum wage to a level that adjusts to inflation, take concrete measures to counter the rise in rents in Montreal.
If all this is too much to ask of you, at least try to show us that you understand us, that we are not left out, that as Premier of Quebec, you are there for us. But who am I to ask? Certainly not a solitary voice; I speak in any case of my background. In Quebec, students suffer from their precarious condition. So, Mr. Legault, what are you waiting for to take action and help us?