Quebec gives $1.35M to fund university courses in Gaspesie--Iles-de-la-Madeleine

The Quebec government is granting $1.35 million per year to the Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR) so that it can establish itself permanently in the Gaspésie--Îles-de-la-Madeleine region.

Premier François Legault made the announcement Wednesday while visiting the CEGEP de la Gaspésie et des Îles campus on Îles-de-la-Madeleine.

The money will go to four main areas of university study: management sciences, nursing, social work and preschool and elementary education.

The premier states the goal is to keep young people in the region to fill nursing, social work and teaching positions.

"In addition to the regular loans and bursaries, there is a $5,000 bursary that will be given in these [three] sectors," he said. "There's nothing better than for someone who knows the place to fill a job. That's going to help."

The government assistance will allow UQAR to offer university courses at the CEGEP's three main campuses -- in Gaspé, Carleton-sur-Mer and Îles-de-la-Madeleine.

Legault specifies that professors will be onsite to teach as distance learning "is not the best way to motivate someone," he said.

At the press conference, UQAR Rector François Deschênes also spoke of the importance of training young people locally.

He points out that more than 75 per cent of those trained at UQAR subsequently go on to obtain employment in the region.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 20, 2022.