Liberals defend English-language universities in Quebec

The Quebec Liberal Party (QLP) lashed out on Saturday at the CAQ government's decision to substantially increase tuition fees for new non-Quebec students enrolling in English-language universities.

According to interim Liberal leader Marc Tanguay, François Legault is a disguised PQer who likes to divide and who has built his political career by dividing Quebecers.

He pointed out that Legault was a Parti Québécois (PQ) MNA and minister from 1998 to 2009.

In a press scrum at the QLP general council on Saturday morning, Tanguay added that we will not advance the French language in Quebec by beating the heads of students who come here to study in English.

The QLP's elected representatives and party members all denounced the CAQ government's decision.

Minister of Higher Education Pascale Déry announced on Friday that, from autumn 2024, Canadian students will pay the equivalent of what their education costs the Quebec government, i.e. $17,000 instead of $8,992.

International students will pay $20,000.

The measure will affect new international students and students from other provinces who come to study at an English-language university in Quebec, at both the undergraduate and graduate professional levels.

TURNED PAGE ON INTEGRITY

The Liberal party, which has long been plagued by illegal financing scandals and is in the process of rebuilding, believes it is time to turn the page.

"We're going to have to change the tape. We're going to have to get the media to change their tape on this," said Antoine Dionne Charest, a member of the QLP's revival committee, at the party's general council in Drummondville on Saturday.

Charest is the son of former premier Jean Charest. It was during his reign that the government was tainted by all kinds of allegations, and the party subsequently had to repay more than $1.1 million in non-compliant funding.

"Frankly, I think we got to the bottom of it," said Dionne Charest. "As for the rest, you've discussed it many, many times, so I think we can move on."

The report on the QLP relaunch was made public this week and gave the floor to party members who diagnosed the party's problems, but it made no mention of integrity issues.

"These issues did not come up during our consultation tour," said co-chair of the relaunch committee, MNA Madwa-Nika Cadet, at a press scrum.

"The Liberal Party has always been a clean party," added her colleague, MNA Monsef Derraji.

In his view, "the page has been turned" because the QLP is "resolutely looking to the future."

Dionne Charest said that the Liberals should instead be discussing a report on the party's relaunch, which he helped to draft and which proposes, among other things, a constitution for Quebec and a minimum working income.

"We've laid the foundations for rebuilding the party. That's what we need to talk about," he said.

The party had to repay more than $1.1 million in non-compliant contributions up to 2017.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Oct. 14, 2023.