Support Concordia: Speak out against tuition increases
Dear Concordians,
I’m writing to express my shock and disappointment at last week’s announcement by the Government of Quebec, stating its intention to significantly increase the tuition fees paid by out-of-province and international students at traditionally English-speaking universities in order to redirect the funding to francophone institutions.
As a university, our goal is always to promote the widest possible access to education, and we consider students, during and after their studies, to be great assets for Quebec. We believe the proposed measures will cause lasting damage to Concordia’s finances, discourage the best students from coming to Quebec, undermine Montreal’s status of one of the world’s top cities for university and exacerbate the province’s well-documented labour shortages in numerous essential and innovative economic sectors.
I’m therefore asking for your help. As a Concordia graduate living in Quebec, you know firsthand how the excellent education your received at our university prepared you to succeed here. Each and every one of your stories serves as a strong counterpoint to the government’s position that students who study predominantly in English simply pack up and leave Quebec after their degrees.
Concordians are known across Quebec as leaders who engage in their communities in thoughtful and meaningful ways. We also know how to mobilize.
In this spirit, I ask you to write to your member of the National Assembly, key cabinet ministers and Premier François Legault to voice your concern about the government’s proposed changes to tuition fees. You can also support Concordia by writing op-eds and letters to the editor in your local newspapers. Below you will find a list of key MNAs to copy on your messages as well as contact information for media outlets across Quebec and Canada.
Thank you for your ongoing support of Concordia.
Graham Carr
Concordia President and Vice-Chancellor
