Local family feels ripple effects of Quebec tuition hikes
By Ruby Pratka
Local Journalism Inititaive
A British Columbia family with aspirations to settle in the Eastern Townships is asking hard questions after the CAQ government announced plans to double tuition fees for out-of-province students.
Clay and Dianne Bassendowski are based in Dawson’s Creek, B.C., but have a holiday home in Knowlton – where they hope to retire – and attend Sherbrooke Phoenix games at every opportunity. Although they’re not fluent in French, Clay Bassendowski said they “love the language” and become better versed in it with every visit. Their 17-year-old daughter, an aspiring math teacher, learned earlier this fall that she had been accepted to Bishop’s University in Lennoxville, realizing a long-held dream.
That was before Oct. 13, when higher education minister Pascale Déry announced that tuition fees for out-of-province students at Quebec universities would double starting next September.
When the Bassendowski family heard the announcement, they “were in shock,” Clay Bassendowski said. “She found out she was accepted, and we learned about this the same week. It’s a real emotional roller coaster.”
They are now considering other options. Although the family hasn’t given up on sending their daughter to Bishop’s, “the more we digest it, the more we realize we need a plan B,” he said.
“One of the concerns we have is the cost – it’s an extra $40,000 over four years, although living expenses are cheaper, and we are factoring that in,” he said. “The other concern is that with 40 per cent of the student body coming from out of province, that’s a big part of the university’s business model. What happens if in three or four years, the university’s business model isn’t viable anymore?”
Bassendowski, a former town councillor, said the idea of finding a workaround to make his daughter eligible for in-province tuition via their holiday home didn’t sit right with him. “I don’t feel we deserve the in-province rate, but we would be happy to pay the same rate that a Quebecer would pay at the University of British Columbia (UBC),” he said. “It’s a great thing for students to be able to experience other provinces.”
He said the opportunity to perfect her French – and one day teach in Quebec – was part of the appeal of Bishop’s for his daughter. “I don’t know why the government assumes that people won’t stay,” he said. “You go to university, you make friends, you put down roots – I think there’s a very high likelihood you will stay.”
Political fallout
The announcement has been roundly criticized by opposition parties. Madwa-Nika Cadet, the Liberal Party critic for public finances and the French language, called on Déry to produce data to back up her assertions that out-of-province students don’t stay in the province or integrate. She noted that students who do leave after their studies in Quebec can be “ambassadors” for Quebec language and culture elsewhere, strengthening connections within the federation.
Québec Solidaire MNA Christine Labrie’s riding includes Bishop’s University. She has called on Déry to exempt Bishop’s from the fee increase. “Bishop’s risks losing a third of their student body, and if nothing is done, this policy will lead to job losses. The consequences will hit the region hard, and the policy won’t achieve its goal because there will be less money coming in to finance French-language universities.”
Labrie said out-of-province students who attend Bishop’s, McGill or Concordia “choose to come and live in a francophone province, and I read that as a will to learn more about Quebec. If they stay, great. If they leave, that means more people in the rest of Canada are familiar with Quebec, and that’s also great.”
Parti Québécois education critic Pascal Bérubé said his party supported the measure but didn’t believe it would have a significant impact on the vitality of French. He said the government should apply the Charter of the French Language to CEGEPs and invest more in French language learning opportunities for temporary foreign workers to reinforce the vitality of the language.
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