Quebec to raise university fees and mandate French for out-of-province students

alphacyberranger@sh.itjust.works to World News@lemmy.world – 235 points –
Quebec to raise university fees and mandate French for out-of-province students
bbc.com
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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).

Imagine calling your fellow countrymen foreigners.

That's just a taste of how badly Quebec's nationalists try to create a rift. But they'll be the first to turn around and tell you that Anglos are the problem.

Cambridge dictionary definition of foreign: belonging or connected to a country that is not your own.

See there's this thing we call "a definition" and that word is appropriate to the situation and if you think "foreigner" is pejorative then you're the one who's got an issue...

Yeah totally, it’s not at all a well-known derogatory term used to other people’s.

Honestly if this is how French Canadians act, I totally get the reputation. Sounds like a bunch of downright exclusionary shit cunts.

"Oh no, French Canadians use words in their second language based on their definition, what a bunch of exclusionary shit cunts!"

You should really go sit down and reflect on the way you just acted.

They are foreign though, literally. They are from a different province, plus a very different culture. There isn't much that separates someone from Alberta from someone from Montana or Massachussetts in that case, other than a passport.

So?

My neighbour is of a different culture than me, yet I don’t think of them as a foreigner.

I could cross the state border and find someone of a different culture in a different state with different laws, they’re still not a foreigner.

I mean you can Google the word "foreign" and the first thing that shows up is:

of, from, in, or characteristic of a country or language other than one's own.

of or belonging to another district or area.

And Wiktionary gives:

Located outside a country or place, especially one's own.

Originating from, characteristic of, belonging to, or being a citizen of a country or place other than the one under discussion. 

Most Québécois are primarily francophones, while the rest of Canada are anglophones, it checks that box. And obviously Québec is a different district/area than not Québec. And someome from outside of Québec is of course from a different place, both being a different province and a completely different sometimes almost unrecognizable culture.

Idk man seems pretty reasonable to call them "foreign" seeing as how they're from a different province. Plus "foreign" is a good catch-all word for anyone who isn't from the jurisdiction.

Also yes if you go into another state you are foreign to that state. Not foreign country-wise, but foreign state-wise.

Heck, 100 years ago someone from four villages over was considered a foreigner...

French is a dead language, just admit it and move on with your lives already Quebec.

More and more people speak it on a global scale, you shouldn't celebrate the disappearance of non English cultures.

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.

Thank you for clarifying. English is the official language of Canada, right? I know provences support French, but is it also an official language?

For instance, in the U.S. there is no national language. Most government forms are provided in MANY languages and/or can be requested in them.

I'm not sure in the US a university could require language profiency in a specific language. To be fair, though, I haven't researched it. Maybe somebody can clarify if there are any federally funded ones that do?

If Canadian universities require conversational French for 80% of grads but the only official language is English, then I wonder what the legal basis is for the requirement? If both English and Fench are official national languages, I understand how that would be the basis.

Thanks for the conversation, I'm learning a lot.

Canada has 2 official languages, French and English. Provinces can have their own official language and so in Québec it is french

That makes LOTS more sense. Thanks so much!

Could a province have a first people's, or other language as their official, if they wanted? Or is the option just the two national official languages?

That's all a smoke show. The real reason is their objective of nationalism.

You've got an issue with a cultural minority protecting its culture?

Nice spin

That's exactly what it is though, they would never dare say the same thing about a first Nation community adopting similar rules.

Because in our treaties and agreements they are quite literally sovereign nations that have the right to self determination. Unlike the Quebecois, they actually were here first, and they really are a minority at risk of extinction. It's so strange how French Canadians can't understand nuance.

You think a group of about 7m surrounded by 360m people that speak another language aren't at risk of seeing their culture disappear?

The Quebecois are also recognized as a separate nation by the federal government, just so you know.

It's so strange how Anglo Canadians can't understand their position in this.

That's awesome, so now we're just pulling random numbers out of the hat. 360m today, 8 billion tomorrow. By that logic, though, Anglo Canadians should have disappeared into American culture huh? Since we already speak the same language. Gee, I wonder why that's never happened.

And just to be clear, the Quebecois are regarded as a nation, french is the official language, the feds are bilingual, and the Quebec govt conduct all operations in French, but somehow they're also at risk of extinction is it?

Random numbers? Oh yeah, sorry... 5 millions French Canadians, 33.5m non French Canadians, 331.9 Americans... So yeah, you're right, my numbers were wrong, 5m vs 367.4m... Oops, it didn't go the way you expected did it?

You're pretty blind if you don't realise that Anglo Canadian culture is disappearing, Quebec produces more original content for its TV than the rest of Canada!

American culture is spreading so much that similar language protection laws are getting adopted in European countries now, same for protection against the spread of Russian in eastern Europe. You just don't care because it doesn't affect you, the proof being that I'm here and talking to you in English instead of forcing you to speak to me in french, which you should be able to do in our bilingual country.

There's 7 million french and native French Canadians ffs. Random ass numbers lol. Nope it went where I wanted and the point still stands but it just flew over your head, like pretty much everything else in this thread.

Anglo Canadian culture is doing just fine despite our politicians not clutching their pearls and blaming immigrants.

You can't even keep track of what your narrative is supposed to be. If Quebec produces more original TV than the rest of Canada, then it's culture isn't disappearing, is it? Write these things down if you have to, you're starting to contradict yourself.

You're speaking English because it's an English sub lmfao. This is exactly the type of Quebecois entitlement that I'm talking about. You don't see me going to french subs and making a point of not forcing them to speak English.

Crazy for you to be talking about entitlement when the first thing you would do when visiting a city in Québec would be to ask for service in English because YOU can't speak the language of the place you are going to and WE have to make efforts to accomodate your lazyness but nooo we are the ones who are entitled

Crazy how you just imagined that entire situation just to make yourself angry lol

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No you see the only groups that get to use the government to hurt other groups is the groups I personally like.

Humans are "meant" to be multilingual. That is norm for us. I still remember the small shock I felt when we were visiting my wife's homeland for the first time and it turns out there is a language with under 6 million people, spoken only in one small region, that she knew plus the most common language of her country.

So yeah this is a group being punished for speaking their own language on land that they originally owned, plus anyone who wants to study there and doesn't speak French. This is freedom? This is a just society? This is education? Schools are supposed to teach not force monolithic thought and punish people for being born "wrong".

First Nations have no French requirements and are allowed to get service in English in Quebec if they want to, that's a protected right.

Also very very funny that you would go from saying "Humans are meant to be multilingual" to "I can't believe they have to learn a second language!"

It's incredible how easy it is to point out the the Anglo hypocrisy.

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You've got an issue with people calling out racists and nationalists?

Can you explain what racism you are talking about?

The most egregious example would be Bill 21. Absolutely horrendous legislation that does nothing but marginalize those who are already marginalized. Despite what the Quebecois would like you to believe, it's a piece of proxy legislation that aims to exclude religious and ethnic minorities from Quebec society, plain as day.

Just a quick look, that’s just the same as France’s law on religious iconography except only for government employees?

Trying to limit the danger of religion sounds like a good thing to me.

Firstly, this isn't France. We have a charter of rights and freedoms that Quebec used a BS notwithstanding clause to get around so that they could pass the bill. Secondly, there's practical and effective ways to curb the danger of religion without taking a) taking away people's livelihoods b) making them choose between their faith and their job and c) forcing them to move out of the province to find a workplace that doesn't go against Canadian ideals.

Did you read the bill?

Yes, I did.

Who's concerned then? A minority of government jobs, plenty of opportunities for people who want to display a religious sign and worst case there's the private sector if they truly don't agree.

Is it any different from asking the people who have the exact same jobs from not displaying their political allegiance? Both religion and freedom of expression are protected by the Canadian Charter, don't forget that.

So there's an imaginary line in the sand that you've drawn regarding how many jobs are allowed to be denied to minorities? Ever heard of the slippery slope argument?

I thank you for the kind reminder of the existence of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. I wonder if the Quebec legislators have ever read it. Have you? Maybe your rights are only protected when you're off the clock eh?

Again, what about political signs? No one complains about that... Weird right?

Quebec made the decision 60 years ago to get religion out of its institutions, only the Catholic Church was concerned at the time but today is a different reality and the Révolution Tranquille is a big part of what makes Quebec what it is today. I don't know why someone that's religious to the point that they wouldn't accept to separate their private religious life from their job would want to represent a laïc government just like I don't understand why an atheist would want to go work for the government in a theocracy.

So your argument is basically that since someone's rights aren't respected at a workplace, they shouldn't work there. Is this a mask off moment or are you starting to realize what the CAQ had intended with Bill 21 all along?

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Oh the double standards. The religious minorities should be protected at all costs, but the québécois don't deserve that same protection. It's always the ""inclusivity/minority activists"" that are the most against Québec when Québec itself fits inside this very definition. For the common good, please just fuck off.

It's really funny how triggered you are. Believe it or not but French speakers aren't a minority in Quebec. Wild, I know!

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Yes, when that's not what's happening I've got an issue with it

Great, then you shouldn't have an issue calling out the CAQ and the nationalists that support them 👍🏼

So it's wrong to be proud of your culture and to expect people that make the choice to live in it to actually want to become part of it?

Absolutely not. When a person receives their Canadian citizenship they agree to uphold the values of the Canadian constitution and they are also afforded the rights that it lays out. Remind me, is the right to freedom of religion included in those documents?

Is the right to force a person to wear specific clothing in there too or is it just ok if it's a religious group or a person's family that choose their clothings?

Are you asking me if the right to enforce a dress code is in the Canadian constitution? Is this a joke or have you lost the plot?

Nothing at all. Please wear a t-shirt that says White Pride on it and put a bumper sticker on your car to that effect also whatever dating app you use make sure it is shown. You can also get a tat that says it on your neck or arm. Please please do this. You know after you scream at a woman wearing a hijab an incoherent scream in that obscure language called French.

See, a judge and a teacher wouldn't be allowed to wear a pin that says "white pride" because in their professional life they represent a State that has specific values and their image must reflect that. One such value of that State is the separation of religion and State.

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Can you explain? What do you mean by nationalism?

Anglo Canadians see Quebec's interculturalism as nationalism in the third Reich sense...

The victim complex in action, exhibit A:

Quebec's nationalism involves alienating non-French speaking Canadians including its own residents (eg Montrealers), creating a narrative that Quebec's culture is at risk of being wiped out, reinforcing a victim complex, blaming its own minorities while complaining about being a minority, and by enacting discriminory laws that only aim to exclude those who don't fit their image of what a Quebecer should be.

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All I know about Quebec is that they have several First Nations there. Why is a foreign language be mandated over those?

Foreign?

The official language in Quebec is French.

I think he understands that and is calling the French colonists foreigners to the native first nations peoples...

Yes, French is a foreign language to the Americas.

Then so are first Nation languages since we all come from Africa.

Lol, holy shit dude. You've lost the plot.

Just pointing out the ridiculousness of the "it's a foreign language" argument.

There's no universities in a first Nation language and the official language in Quebec is French. I would be the first one to vote in favor of teaching kids a first Nation language, there's 11 families of them in Quebec alone so a common language is necessary and in Quebec that's French.

Members of first Nations are still free to go to school in whatever language they choose and the headline is just bad, at university level everyone can go wherever they want, it's the English universities that will lose financing if they don't get 80% of students from other provinces and out of country to reach level 5 French (out of 12 levels to be considered perfectly bilingual), that's just enough French to be able to understand an everyday conversation.

Do you consider that all other provinces do language discrimination because people can't go to university there without knowing English?

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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 this talk of Quebecois separatisme is giving me think DFW was a lot more prophetic than we thought...

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.

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.

They can still study in English if they want to, they just have to learn the local language.

Try to go to university in Vancouver without knowing a word of English.

Say this comment in a language spoken by a First Nation please.

What doe that have to do with the topic at hand? What you're implying is nothing but a hypocrisy fallacy.

It means that it has to do with ethnic superiority. It isn't that they are worried about the uniqueness of Quebec vanishing it means they are worried about their specific group not running things.

I speak both official languages fluently and I'm sad that a local first Nation language isn't part of the curriculum starting in primary school.

It's also pretty funny that you're insisting on first Nations considering they are part of the few people that are guaranteed to be able to go to school in either French or English in Quebec.

Say this comment in a language spoken by a First Nation please.

Someone has problems listening and understanding in English. You should probably not attend university, nothing for you there. It might introduce you to new ideas.