Quebec to raise university fees and mandate French for out-of-province students
Quebec to raise university fees and mandate French for out-of-province students
Something that people should keep in mind is that the fees were lower for those "out-of-province" students in Québec than in their own province.
This fee raise basically brings it on par with what they would pay in their on province. One of the reasoning behind this law is that Québec shouldn't be subsidizing other provinces way too expensive university system.
If you are living in Québec, university fees are quite cheap, and this doesn't change.
The French vs English aspect is widely talked about, but not a whole lot is mentioned about the actual price hike.
The total fees for out of province students will still be lower than for out of province students in other provinces.
The fees for international students will still be lower than the fees for international students in other provinces.
In the only province where French is the only official language, French universities received less financing than English universities no matter the source, including from the provincial government. Donating to one's Alma Mater isn't part of the French Canadian culture for a ton of historical reasons, that leads to an university like McGill getting 200m$ from a single ex student and having over a billion sleeping in its coffers while the Université du Québec en Outaouais barely manages to offer basic services to its students.
Is it such a bad thing that the government asks that foreign students integrate themselves by learning the local language? That's an incentive for them to stay and it prevents the issue of having some of them stay without being able to speak the language, pretty much forcing them to live in one of three urban areas and their suburbs (Montreal, Gatineau, Sherbrooke).
Is it federally legal for to discriminate based on language? Don't know, don't live there, really curious, though.
Or is this one if those things that have to be adjudicated in the courts?
The law states that English universities can take in whoever they want, 80% must finish their degree having reached conversational level in French otherwise English universities will lose part of their funding (when they're the universities that are the richest in the province).
That's not language discrimination, that's just bad journalism.
France has a whole host of laws to keep France French as well.
Quebec and Montreal are wonderful because they’re so different and yet so close.
It’s hard for me to hold a grudge against them for that. It’s not like they’re saying you must speak French to go to school there - they’re just saying you have to try to learn French if you want to go to school there.
This government (CAQ) has done many xenophobic thing. Restricting access to services in foreign languages to accommodate new immigrants is probably the best example of that. But this university thing, I don't think it is. Most of the time, if you go and follow and Bachelor's degree in another country, then you have to learn the language of that country because not every class is given in English only (of course there's exceptions, but most of the time it's like that). And you have to pay a hefty premium to go and educate yourself abroad.
This situation is way different, studying at university of Toronto is 16 000$ if you are from Ontario and 17 000$ if you are from another province. So it was often cheaper for people to go and study in Québec. This fee raise doesn't have anything to do with xenophobia or anything, this is merely bring the prices to the "market value". Yes there's a bit of language protectionism, but it's not all that inconvenient, and as someone already said, just trying to learn French is probably sufficient to get around it.
In short, I agree that there is xenophobic things that happens in Québec. I agree this provincial government doesn't have a great track record on that front. But this change isn't motivated by xenophobia, but other reasons. Up to you to decide if they're valid or not in your opinion.
Speaking of xenophobia, you should look in the mirror.
Quebec trying to protect its francophone cultural heritage in a whole anglophone continent with so much American cultural influences through media, music and the internet is not xenophobic. It's actually even a problem that other countries outside North America are facing.
In really sick and tired of the discrimination of Quebec and French Canadians coming from people like you who twist everything to fit their racist narrative.
The only reason you're so mad is that you can't come live a life here speaking the only language you know, English, and it pisses you off that you have to learn a second language. You simply wish the the French Canadians would finally just all fold over, speak English and the whole French Canadian culture to disappear so it could stop be an inconvenience to you. I think THAT'S pretty xenophobic, actually.
I’ve only ever really been to Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Canadian Niagara Falls. Montreal is fun and different, Toronto is like a baby NYC, Vancouver was cool but just ok. I’d go back to Montreal before I went back to any of the other places. Except in winter.
First person I've ever heard say they don't want to live in Montreal, sounds like someone from Alberta
I don't want to live in Montreal but that's because I don't like cities in general so whenever I go to Montreal I try to make it quick... Well, I take the time to eat at one of the tons of awesome restaurants 🤤
I myself don't want to live in Montreal, but I do enjoy a visit once in a while.
Most of Canada hating Quebec? 🤦🤦♀️🤦♂️
This is the best summary I could come up with:
The Canadian province of Quebec is introducing a plan that will hike tuition fees and mandate French proficiency for its out-of-province university students.
In a letter published on Thursday, Quebec's higher education minister Pascale Déry said tuition for out-of-province students would increase from C$9,000 ($6,700; £5,200) to C$12,000 a year.
The 33% rise is smaller than what the province had originally proposed in October, which was to double the tuition fees for students from the rest of Canada.
The province will also require that 80% of students from outside Quebec reach an intermediate level of French by the time they graduate, and universities would face financial penalties if that target is not met.
Mr Saini added his university had not ruled out moves like opening another campus outside of Quebec or filing a potential lawsuit.
Concordia University President Graham Carr told the Montreal Gazette that he believed the plan would lead to a drop in the number of students, and would damage Quebec's reputation.
The original article contains 429 words, the summary contains 164 words. Saved 62%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!
All I know about Quebec is that they have several First Nations there. Why is a foreign language be mandated over those?
All this talk of Quebecois separatisme is giving me think DFW was a lot more prophetic than we thought...
In the Netherlands we also see a return of mandated dutch classes because universeties cannot cope with the influx of students and have no legal way to stop students from other EU countries. So they will limit the influx by switching part of the curriculum back to Dutch. This seems similar.
Frankly, good. Montreal was already becoming remarkably English and that has risks of encouraging Quebec secessionism. Same thing should happen for the Mayan language in Yucatan, Mexico.
Hey, @quinten@lemmy.world looking how this thread is degenerating into a complete shit show of Québec bashing, can we lock it down?
French Canadians have a stereotype of being pretentious and I love it. Keep being odd Quebec.
Because fuck people who want an education and don't speak a particular language.
@quinten@lemmy.world This thread has turned into a complete shit show about hate and discrimination against Québec and its francophone population. Can you please do something?
Having a discussion != hate & discrimination
Fuck Quebec