• Windows2000Srv@lemmy.ca
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    9 months ago

    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.

    • Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
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      9 months ago

      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).

        • Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
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          9 months ago

          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…

          • Quokka@quokk.au
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            9 months ago

            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.

            • Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
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              9 months ago

              “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.

        • force@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          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.

          • Quokka@quokk.au
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            9 months ago

            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.

    • rivermonster@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      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?

      • Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
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        9 months ago

        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.

        That’s not language discrimination, that’s just bad journalism.

  • Stamets@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    So it’s Quebec being Quebec. Most of Canada already hates the province. This won’t really change much on that end. I’ve had friends who have gotten scholarships to Quebec (who also went to French immersion schools) and turned down the offers because they simply didn’t want to live in a place like Quebec.

    You wanna keep being isolationist and scream at the rest of Canada? Go for it. But stop being continually surprised that people don’t have good opinions of Quebec.

    • ImplyingImplications@lemmy.ca
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      9 months ago

      Yup. Quebec is so paranoid that if they don’t force people to speak French with laws and regulations then the language will die out. But French is a globally recognized language spoken in dozens of countries and the UN. Quebec is literally the only French speaking area that says they need to enforce it or it’ll die out.

      My opinion? It’s a more acceptable form of xenophobia. They’re not worried people will stop speaking French. They’re worried about immigration and use language laws as a way to make moving to Quebec seem unappealing.

      • Windows2000Srv@lemmy.ca
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        9 months ago

        This government (CAQ) has done many xenophobic thing. Restricting access to services in foreign languages to accommodate new immigrants is probably the best example of that. But this university thing, I don’t think it is. Most of the time, if you go and follow and Bachelor’s degree in another country, then you have to learn the language of that country because not every class is given in English only (of course there’s exceptions, but most of the time it’s like that). And you have to pay a hefty premium to go and educate yourself abroad.

        This situation is way different, studying at university of Toronto is 16 000$ if you are from Ontario and 17 000$ if you are from another province. So it was often cheaper for people to go and study in Québec. This fee raise doesn’t have anything to do with xenophobia or anything, this is merely bring the prices to the “market value”. Yes there’s a bit of language protectionism, but it’s not all that inconvenient, and as someone already said, just trying to learn French is probably sufficient to get around it.

        In short, I agree that there is xenophobic things that happens in Québec. I agree this provincial government doesn’t have a great track record on that front. But this change isn’t motivated by xenophobia, but other reasons. Up to you to decide if they’re valid or not in your opinion.

      • Cyborganism@lemmy.ca
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        9 months ago

        Speaking of xenophobia, you should look in the mirror.

        Quebec trying to protect its francophone cultural heritage in a whole anglophone continent with so much American cultural influences through media, music and the internet is not xenophobic. It’s actually even a problem that other countries outside North America are facing.

        In really sick and tired of the discrimination of Quebec and French Canadians coming from people like you who twist everything to fit their racist narrative.

        The only reason you’re so mad is that you can’t come live a life here speaking the only language you know, English, and it pisses you off that you have to learn a second language. You simply wish the the French Canadians would finally just all fold over, speak English and the whole French Canadian culture to disappear so it could stop be an inconvenience to you. I think THAT’S pretty xenophobic, actually.

    • Alto@kbin.social
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      9 months ago

      There’s a reason that most Canadians have a generally positive reputation in the states, but French Canadians are seen as pretentious assholes.

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldB
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    9 months ago

    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!

  • Brkdncr@sh.itjust.works
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    9 months ago

    French Canadians have a stereotype of being pretentious and I love it. Keep being odd Quebec.

    • Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
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      9 months ago

      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.