Petition calls for Quebec to reconsider funding Dawson College expansion

A petition posted on the website of the Quebec National Assembly is calling on the government to reverse its decision not to allocate $200 million to the expansion of Dawson College.

In early February, Higher Education Minister Danielle McCann explained that the government had chosen to expand French-language CEGEPs rather than spend money on the English college.

She suggested that the school solve its space shortage by renting.

Premier François Legault pointed out that only 50 per cent of students at Dawson are anglophone and in setting priorities, his government prefers expanding francophone CEGEPs first.

The petition states that, according to departmental space allocation standards, Dawson has a deficit of over 11,500 square metres.

It says it needs to relocate its health care programs to new facilities.

The institution argues the file is complete and was approved in accordance with the rules established by the Société québécoise des infrastructures.

It adds that its expansion project was supposed to be among the priority projects listed in the Act respecting the acceleration of certain infrastructure projects.

The petition states that the government's cancellation of the project will have a negative impact on the programs offered to current and future students at Dawson College, who are entitled to the same quality of educational services as those offered at other CEGEPs in Quebec.

The school says it wants the project to be maintained in the Plan québécois des infrastructures 2022-2032.

Interested parties have until April 11 to sign the petition.

As of Thursday morning, 3,194 signatories were registered.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Feb. 24, 2022.