'I'll listen to them': Legault vows to meet with 3 English universities about tuition hike concerns

Days after more than 1,000 students held a protest in Montreal against planned tuition hikes for out-of-province students, Quebec's premier said he plans to sit down and "listen" to the heads of the three English universities to hear their concerns directly.

"I'll meet with the three principals of these universities, I hope, in the next few days. So we'll have a chance to discuss the different solutions," François Legault told reporters Wednesday in Quebec City.

The plan to double tuition fees for non-Quebec students — from about $9,000 to $17,000 — has created fears among Quebec's English universities, particularly Bishop's University in the province's Eastern Townships. The university has warned that its very survival is at risk since 30 per cent of the school is made up of out-of-province students, which contribute one-quarter of the school's revenues.

Quebec's three English universities are poised to be disproportionately affected by the new measure since they receive higher amounts of non-Quebec students. 

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Legault acknowledged Wednesday that Bishop's is in a "special situation."

"We don't have the same challenge that we have in Montreal to protect French in Eastern Townships," the premier said.

He said he has heard that Bishop's has asked for lower tuition fees for certain programs and higher fees for other programs.

"So, I'll listen to them, I'll sit with them but the principles will stay in place. But I'll listen to them," he insisted.

On Tuesday, more than 180 people, including business and community leaders in the Eastern Townships, signed an open letter asking Higher Education Minister Pascale Déry to exclude Bishop's from the tuition hike measure. They said the university generates more than $190 million a year to the region alone and it has been an essential part of the region for more than 180 years.

In an interview with CTV News, former Bishop's University principal Michael Goldbloom said, "In my view, I don't believe that Bishop’s can survive under this policy."

Earlier this week, Concordia University President Graham Carr said in an internal memo the planned tuition hike would have devastating effects on the Montreal institution, warning that it would potentially gut 90 per cent of of its out-of-province undergraduate registration by up to 90 per cent.

Annual revenue loss could reach $32 million in four years, the memo said, describing the impact as "far-reaching and complex."