McGill and Concordia react to Quebec cuts to international student programs

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McGill and Concordia Universities, still reeling from last year’s changes to Quebec university funding, say it’s unclear whether they will be affected by the new plan, which seeks to limit the number of international students who can study in Montreal.

Prime Minister Francois Legault announced on Tuesday that his government would introduce legislation in the fall. Fewer students from other countriesHe said more details would be released later.

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Concordia University said it had no warning of the impending changes.

“We heard the news but have no details beyond what was said in the press conference,” spokeswoman Vannina Maestracci said. “Concordia was not directly consulted on whether it could introduce a bill.”

She said Concordia has “already seen a decline in international student enrollment over the past few years and expects an even greater decline this fall.”

Maestrachi said that as of this week, international student undergraduate enrollment at Concordia University was down 10% compared with the same period last year.

In a statement to the Montreal Gazette, McGill University said it believed “institutions that have consistently pursued ethical and sustainable recruitment practices will not be the focus of the proposed legislation.”

The university said international students “provide tremendous value by contributing to research and to Quebec’s economic and social development. We remain firmly committed to attracting, supporting and retaining the best and brightest.”

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McGill said he is “confident that the Quebec government will recognize the importance of these contributions and the complexity of the process of attracting, selecting and hosting international students.”

It expressed the wish to consult on these issues Higher Education Minister Pascal Dery.

A source familiar with the matter said the Quebec government informed the Universities Partnership, an organization of 20 Quebec universities, of the plan before it was announced.

BCI officials did not respond to the Gazette’s request for comment Tuesday.

Quebec plans to cut the number of international students as part of a plan to reduce the number of non-permanent residents who it says are exacerbating Quebec’s housing crisis, increasing pressure on public services and accelerating the decline of the French language.

In his speech on Tuesday, Legault cited “abuse of the system” by private universities that charge high tuition fees to foreign students hoping to obtain permanent residency.

In response to a reporter’s question, Legault would not say whether McGill and Concordia Universities, two of the largest universities in Quebec that host large numbers of international students, would be affected.

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Last fall, the Quebec government announced a plan to reduce the number of non-French-speaking students from other provinces who attend Concordia and McGill universities.

The two universities warned that the changes could result in tens of millions of dollars in funding cuts.

Quebec has increased tuition by 33 per cent for out-of-province students at McGill and Concordia universities, making those institutions less competitive.

McGill University said the new tuition is about double what it charges for arts and science programs at the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia.

Additionally, changes to international student aid rules will result in Concordia and McGill universities losing $5,000 for each international student they enroll.

McGill and Concordia will also have to have 80 per cent of undergraduates from outside Quebec graduate at an intermediate level in French starting in fall 2025. The universities will face financial penalties if they fail to meet that target.

The changes are part of the Quebec government’s efforts to increase funding for French-language universities and reduce the number of non-French speakers at Montreal’s post-secondary institutions.

His government complains that too many people speak English on Montreal’s streets and that students who are not fluent in French are partly to blame.

ariga@postmedia.com

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