this post was submitted on 12 Oct 2023

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Quebec raises tuition for non-Quebecois at anglo universities in French-language 'offensive' (montrealgazette.com)

submitted 2 years ago by ram to c/canada@lemmy.ca

19 comments fedilink hide all child comments

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Describing it as part of an “all-out offensive” to promote the French language in Quebec and “halt the decline in Montreal,” a Legault government task force will seek to increase tuition fees for foreign or out-of-province students attending English-language universities in Quebec.

“We’re fed up with managing a decline, of protecting the language, of slowing the erosion of the language, these are defensive terms. It’s time to regain ground,” Quebec French-language minister Jean-François Roberge said in an interview with La Presse. “If we want to change the linguistic profile of Montreal, to stop the decline in Montreal, we must focus on the question of rebalancing university networks.”

Roberge said that while 80 per cent of Quebec students attend French-language universities, only half of the 32,000 foreign or out-of-province students who study here do so as well.

“There are a lot of people who come to Quebec, who attend an English-language university and who very often express themselves in the English language on a daily basis.”

The task force also intends to table legislation that would oblige online giants such as Spotify and Netflix to make Quebec-produced content “more visible.”

Roberge’s announcement comes a little over a week after the Coalition Avenir Québec suffered a stinging defeat at the hands of the Parti Québécois in a byelection in the Quebec City riding of Jean-Talon.

all 20 comments

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[–] BobVersionFour@kbin.social 4 points 2 years ago

They don't care about french that a direct reaction of their lost in jean-talon

[–] Pulptastic@midwest.social 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

What is an anglo university?

[–] ram 9 points 2 years ago

Anglophone / English speaking

[–] cyborganism@lemmy.ca -1 points 2 years ago

I don't see a problem with that.

[–] Rocket@lemmy.ca -5 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Good for them?

Just basic supply and demand. More people looking for anglo universities necessitates a higher price to keep the number of students vying for positions in check. Less competition for French placements means they don't have the same need to scare away applicants with a high price.

[–] ram 18 points 2 years ago (1 children)

This isn't an economic matter. Calling this "basic supply and demand" is ignorant of the fact that supply and demand is a reaction to the state of the market, not a state of law.

[+] Rocket@lemmy.ca -7 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

This isn’t an economic matter.

Of course it is.

is ignorant of the fact that supply and demand is a reaction to the state of the market

Yes, exactly, these price changes are a reaction to the state of the market, just as explained in the previous comment.

It's curious that you understand the concept of supply and demand well, but at the same time cannot comprehend it. Which means that you must comprehend it just fine and are merely spewing the other nonsense because you're looking for a fake argument?

[–] ram 7 points 2 years ago (1 children)

The government is making the prices go up for certain people. Not the market. I'm curious as to how you're failing to comprehend this?

[+] Rocket@lemmy.ca -10 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

How do you imagine that the government is not a participant in the market – all while recognizing that they have control over prices?

Fake argument confirmed.

[–] ram 10 points 2 years ago (2 children)

They have control over prices. That control isn't "supply and demand". It's just price regulation.

Also why did you immediately take me in bad faith? Just declaring "your argument's fake" as you continue to seemingly refuse to grasp what the words "supply and demand" mean. You can be supportive of the law, that's fine. But falsely claiming that it's a response to the supply being less than what's demanded when there's literally no indication of that, and only the indication that Legault wants to protect the French language, does you no favours.

[–] Nouveau_Burnswick@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

They have control over prices.

Not really. The universities set the prices; the government pitches in the Québec and Canadian student discounts.

Aka, if program X costs $27k, it's the same price for everyone. University Y gets $27k regardless of who the student is.

If the student is Quebecois.e then they pay $2880 and the province pays $24,120.

If the student is Canadian (or French or Belgian) they pay $9,000 and the province pays $18,000.

If the student is foreign, they pay $27,000 and the government pays nothing.

If that program becomes $37k. The province still pays $24,120, $18,000 or $0. The students pay $12,880, $19,000, or $37,000.

The only price controls the government has is what discount they offer to QC and CAN students. The universities are private and set their own tuition costs.

[–] ram 1 points 2 years ago

Ah that makes sense. I appreciate the clarification.

[–] Rocket@lemmy.ca -2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

That control isn’t “supply and demand”. It’s just price regulation.

Did you not even read your own comment? Like you suggested, supply and demand is a reaction to (more accurately, observe of) the state of the market. What is all this nonsense?

Also why did you immediately take me in bad faith?

Because there is no reasonable explanation for how you gave a perfectly valid description for supply and demand, but then go off to crazy town as if you don't even know what you said other than you looking for a fight.

But falsely claiming that it’s a response to the supply being less than what’s demanded when there’s literally no indication of that

Claimed what now? I said it was to keep interest in anglo schools in check. That is not the same as "supply being less than what is demanded", whatever that is supposed to mean.

[–] Nouveau_Burnswick@lemmy.world -5 points 2 years ago (1 children)

More foreign students going into French programs.

More Anglo spaces available for Québécois•e.

Seems like a win to me?

[–] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 5 points 2 years ago (1 children)

A Hallmark of happy countries isn't a mercenary post-secondary education system.

'Offensive' is right. But the Right usually is.

[–] Nouveau_Burnswick@lemmy.world -3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

a mercenary post-secondary education system.

Sorry, I don't understand what this means? The only military university in Québec is federally run; and any foreign students are on exchange from other military schools, not mercenaries.

Québec has three tiers of pricing: Québec student ($), Canadian student ($$), and foreign student ($$$$).

Currently France and Belgium have agreements to allow their students to receive Canadian student pricing. The current strategy is to increase the number of Francophonie nations that receive Canadian pricing. I don't know what the mechanics behind that are.

The "unbalance" is that Anglo students are 25% total population, but has 38% of the foreign students. A balanced profile would see the Anglo universities having 25% of the foreign student population. The current lever targetted is increasing the number of francophone foreign students (as mentioned, adding more preferential pricing for other Francophonie nations)

[–] nyan@lemmy.cafe 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

"Mercenary", as an English-language adjective, can also mean "motivated only by money; money-grubbing".

[–] Nouveau_Burnswick@lemmy.world -1 points 2 years ago

Ahh, fair enough. Still, the motivations of higher education are not directly relevant to this context.

I'm also pretty sure Québec is is only province with free tuition for college education; that must affect the undergraduate profit formulas and motivations to some extent. Cuts a year off most undergrads at a minimum.