Legault-McGill meeting: ‘Frank and productive discussion,’ University Vice-Chancellor says

The head of McGill University met with Quebec Premier François Legault and Higher Education Minister Pascal Déry on Monday afternoon.

Legault posting a photo on social media – writing that they discussed ways to reverse the decline of French in Montreal.

This was Deep Saini’s, McGill’s President and Vice-Chancellor, first meeting with Legault since November when they discussed the school’s concerns about the proposed tuition hike for out-of-province students.

Avec le recteur de l’Université McGill, Deep Saini, et la ministre de l’Enseignement supérieur ⁦@PascaleDery⁩ pour discuter des moyens d’inverser le déclin du français à Montréal. pic.twitter.com/8PpnkdYlUn

— François Legault (@francoislegault) February 5, 2024

Saini didn’t reveal any meeting specifics — which was closed to media.

“We had a frank and productive discussion that touched upon all the issues of concern to McGill, including the tuition fees and the francisation program,” said Saini in a statement to CityNews on Tuesday morning.

“McGill remains open to continuing the dialogue with the government and our university partners to find viable, realistic solutions that will allow us all to build a stronger university system, that will help protect and promote the French language and help us build a more prosperous Quebec.” 

In November, Saini said the tuition hikes would result in up to $94 million in revenue losses and up to 700 job cuts — among other impacts McGill said it was facing.

The CAQ government’s measures announced on Oct. 13 including an increase in tuition fees for Canadian students from outside Quebec from $8,992 to $17,000, and a minimum of $20,000 for international students starting in the fall of 2024.

The government says this is a way to promote the use of the French language and bolster francophone universities by re-investing the money to their programs.

At Concordia University, officials had said that applications were down by 30 per cent. 

Adding that the concern stems from the financial implications, but also because of the impact on the identity of the university.

Last week, thousands of Concordia students protested against Quebec’s tuition hikes.