Students protest against tuition hikes
Montreal showed solidarity with the visiting entrants.
More than 1,000 universitarians walked out of classes Monday to protest Quebec tuition increases. The protesters marched in a column through Montreal.
Tuition fees will not be increased for those already enrolled. The measure, intended as a way to strengthen the French language, applies only to the new generation of enrollees. However, the protesters said they wanted to show solidarity with prospective students whose dreams of studying in Quebec have become unattainable.
The tuition hike was announced by the provincial government two weeks ago. It will only apply to universities teaching in English — and only to students from other provinces and countries. Representatives from all three institutions affected by the change (McGill, Bishop's and Concordia universities) have already reacted negatively. And McGill University has responded by already even freezing its French language support program.
Monday's protest was dubbed "Blue Fall" by its organizers. It's a reference of sorts to the 2012 Maple Spring tuition protests and the colors of the Certificat d'acceptation du Québec.
Francophone student leaders also took part in the protests, showing their support for English-speaking students.
Tuition fees for students from other provinces in Quebec will rise to about CA$ 17,000 starting in the fall of 2024. This represents a doubling of tuition prices compared to the current state of affairs. How much the tuition for international students will increase is not yet known, but we can expect a significant increase. Quebec is going to receive CA$ 20,000 from universities for each student coming from abroad. The provincial government intends to invest these revenues in French-speaking educational institutions.
