The hunt for English-speaking students is on

Be careful, the hunting season for English-speaking students is open! What better way to forget the failures of the CAQ which stalled itself by resurrecting the third link after its crushing defeat in the complementary election in Jean-Talon?

Politically, that’s good. The offensive against English-speaking students rekindles the nationalist flame of voters who deserted to the Parti Québécois, without the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) having to alienate the slightest potential voter. A boon.

But basically, the government is not hitting the nail on the head. The measures will have little influence on the “decline” of French as the government measures it, by wrongly focusing on the mother tongue and the language spoken at home.

Take the expected changes to immigration rules.

By adjusting its Quebec Experience Program (PEQ), Quebec will offer foreign students a fast track if they want to settle here after obtaining their diploma. This is an excellent idea, because these students are the ideal immigrants, having a recognized diploma and a network of contacts that promote their integration into society.

Unfortunately, this fast track is only aimed at those who studied in French. Those who studied in an English-speaking establishment will remain on the sidelines, even if they have an excellent command of French. This discrimination does not hold water. We are depriving ourselves of excellent candidates for nothing.

Based on a recent Statistics Canada study¹some fear that these students, even if they are bilingual, will speak more English when they are employed.

However, we must not forget that it is largely the demands of the workplace – increasingly open to the world – which dictate the use of English in business.

We cannot overemphasize the importance of the use of French in public spaces in Quebec. It is our culture and our identity that are at stake. But the province cannot turn in on itself either.

Now take the changes announced to university funding on Friday.

Roughly speaking, the CAQ intends to double tuition fees for students coming from other provinces, from $9,000 to $17,000 per year. A minimum fee of $20,000 will also be imposed on foreign students.

By taking part of the fees paid by non-Quebec students, who attend more English-speaking universities, Quebec wants to reinvest more than 100 million dollars in French-speaking universities. Either. But this equalization could be less important if registrations fall due to the increase in fees.

Quebec presents its reform as a way to stop subsidizing the studies of young people who subsequently return to their province. It’s defensible. But in its thinking, the government loses sight of their contribution to Quebec.

Economically, they have a significant impact in the community where they live. And on a human level, they enrich campus life.

They allow Quebec students to build a network of contacts across Canada and the world. And they themselves become ambassadors of Quebec outside the province.

We must not lose sight of the fact that universities are key institutions in Quebec whose contribution is measured in scientific discoveries and advances that benefit society as a whole.

Instead of reaching out to them to find a solution, Quebec imposed a surprise decision on them. All this while universities have been collaborating for many months to revise their funding policy.

Here again, Quebec presents its reform as a solution to the decline of French. But students outside Quebec have a broad back.

It is true that some contribute to the anglicization of the city center, by working in businesses without speaking a word of French which must nevertheless be the welcome language. Except that this obscures many other factors which have a significant impact on the evolution of French, but which we talk very little about. An example: why have 74,000 French speakers left the Montreal region in five years? This also weighs in the balance.

By constantly blaming the decline of French on immigrants, for political purposes, we risk discouraging newcomers who are making real efforts to learn our language.

The enormous demand since the launch of the Francisation Québec platform last June clearly proves that immigrants have a great interest in French, which is the key to integration into the job market and Quebec society.

We need more of francization on campuses if we want students to get on board. In fact, McGill was to launch a 50 million francization program these days. But the university pressed pause.

Ironically, the Quebec offensive risks harming the French.