Legault's government responded to Mayor Plante over rising tuition fees

The Quebec government's hike in tuition fees for out-of-province students at English universities is causing controversy.

“We will not attack Montreal. We protect the French. The French will always be vulnerable in North America,” Prime Minister François Legault said at a press conference Thursday, responding to comments made by Mayor Valérie Plante a day earlier, who said the growth of Concordia and McGill would be a direct attack on Montreal.

“People are worried in Montreal. You should listen to this too. We know that we work together, we work together. “It's a whole ecosystem to attract investors, students, it's good for business, and by the way, it's good for downtown,” he said.

Legaul claims they are defending the French language, not attacking Montreal.

“They have a lot of students from outside of Quebec who never speak French. I think it's a good opportunity to tell them, hey, we'll pay you for a few lessons, and by the way, learn French too.”

Beginning in the 2024-25 academic year, Canadian students outside of Quebec will pay at least $12,000 in tuition.

Since then, Concordia has seen a 27 percent drop in applications from out-of-province students, while McGill said it has dropped 22 percent.

McGill, Concordia and Bishop's must also ensure that 80 percent of out-of-province and international students learn French.

The prime minister discussed how students should pay more for a prestigious university like McGill.

“You know McGill is one of the best universities in the world, right? To say that from now on you will have to ask for $12,000 a year for a student from the rest of Canada. This does not cover the average cost. So I think it's fair.”

Responding to the topic again on Thursday, Plante added: “We have to do both: protect the French language, but also support economic activity and protect reputation. This means supporting universities in Montreal.”

Universities say tuition hikes, along with changes to funding for international students, could mean they lose tens of millions of dollars a year in lost revenue.

Quebec granted Bishop's, the smallest of Quebec's three English universities, a partial exemption from the hike.