Breadcrumb Trail LinksQuebec News Local News "It is difficult to avoid the impression that there is ignorance and distrust behind its actions," former federal official languages commissioner says of Quebec government.
Join the conversationConcordia University president Graham Carr says the Legault government's plan will have dire consequences for his institution's finances.
Photo by John Mahoney /Montreal Gazette Article content Quebec's English-language universities are the latest victims of Premier Francois Legault's obsession with and fear of the province's anglophones, a former federal official languages commissioner says.
"In the approach of the Quebec government towards institutions in the English-speaking community, it is difficult to avoid the impression that there is ignorance and distrust behind its actions," Graham Fraser wrote Tuesday in a Le Devoir opinion piece about changes to university tuition that are expected to hurt Bishop's, Concordia and McGill.
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Article content Article content"The attitude of Premier Francois Legault towards the English-speaking community is an open secret; in his memoir, he recounted his street battles with the young anglophones of the West Island, and in his first political speech as a candidate, he reassured the members of the Parti Quebecois riding association of his obsession with the English.
"During the 2018 Quebec election campaign, Fraser, a former political journalist, caused a stir when he recalled covering Legault's maiden speech as a politician in 1998.
Fraser said Legault, a Parti Quebecois candidate at the time, "told his riding association members that he had been raised in Montreal's West Island among the English, 'and I hate them as much as you do.
'"Legault's office vehemently denied he ever spoke those words.
In his Le Devoir op-ed, Fraser said Legault's obsession with anglophones "is sometimes marked by fear.
" He recalled that in the 2018 election campaign, the future premier expressed fear that "our grandchildren will no longer speak French" because of immigration.
Fraser said the tuition overhaul, which will see rates double for students from other provinces, shows Legault sees other Canadians as "foreigners - rich foreigners who can finance Quebec universities by paying almost six times more than Quebec students to enrol at McGill, Concordia or Bishop's.
"Thanks for signing up! Article contentStory continues below Article contentThe tuition reform, he added, is more evidence of the Legault government's "negative attitude towards the English-speaking community, as if this community did not have the right to manage its own institutions and that it only existed thanks to the benevolence of the French-speaking majority.
"The government has already cancelled funding for the expansion of Dawson College, limited enrolment in English-speaking CEGEPs of students who did not study in English and imposed a three-course requirement in French for anglophones in CEGEP - which disrupts credit planning and the organization of teaching staff.
"Some Quebecers say "the English-speaking minority is the best treated in Canada.
But there is no province, except Quebec, that has made a systematic effort in recent decades to weaken minority institutions.
"Anglophone universities are now "paying the price for their success," Fraser wrote.
"Instead of being valued and respected as national and international centres of attraction, they are treated with contempt, like cash cows for the university network.
What a shame.
"Story continues below Article contentFraser was Canada's Commissioner of Official Languages from 2006 to 2016.
Bishop's, Concordia and McGill have said the new fee structure, announced on Oct.
13, will devastate their finances.
Graham's comment came as Concordia warned that it's preparing for the worst, even as it tries to convince the Legault government to modify its plan to overhaul tuition.
"Based on what we currently know, the financial impact for Concordia - let alone the repercussions for who we are as a university that values diversity, accessibility and openness to the world - will be in the tens of millions of dollars per year," Concordia president Graham Carr told staff and faculty in an email Monday.
Concordia is preparing "to deal with the very real and dire financial consequences of the announced policies.
While we continue to analyze the full impact, it's abundantly clear that the dramatic increase to tuition will result in a massive decline in enrolment from the rest of Canada.
The effects on international student enrolment are also bound to be negative.
"Story continues below Article contentCarr said he met with Higher Education Minister Pascale Dery last week.
"We hope that the government will continue these discussions around the impact of the new policies and will be open to considering modifications to the current proposed increases.
We are willing to explore alternative solutions to address the government's stated goals of promoting and protecting the French language and providing additional financial support to francophone universities.
"Carr said that helping students "learn or perfect their competency in French is fully consistent with our mission as a university, especially given our commitment to work-integrated learning.
"Concordia has "repeatedly expressed our dedication to this idea in the hope that even more of our students will ultimately choose to stay and further contribute to Quebec society and its economy after graduation.
"Carr has previously said that Concordia had been in talks with Dery this past summer about helping non-Quebec students learn French and integrate into francophone society.
In the email, Carr said Concordia has "tremendous momentum in terms of our research, our contributions to arts, culture and design, and our reach beyond the borders of Quebec.
Together, we need to continue to tell this positive story as we respond to the challenges we now face.
"Story continues below Article contentThe Legault government says the tuition overhaul is needed to boost French-language universities and to improve the status of French in Quebec.
Under the new structure, tuition for new Canadian students from outside Quebec will almost double - to about $17,000 from just under $9,000, starting in fall 2024.
Quebec also announced major changes for international students that will see more of their fees clawed back by the government.
Dery has said the changes will allow the government to pump more money into Quebec's French-language universities.
She has not specified how much more financing will be provided to francophone institutions.
The changes apply to undergraduate programs and professional master's programs, such as master of engineering and master of business administration.
It will not apply to research- and thesis-based master's programs or to PhD students.
ariga@postmedia.
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