Legal action by Concordia and McGill underlines how important it is that English institutions fight to preserve and defend our rights

I wish to applaud Montreal’s two English universities, Concordia and McGill, for their  decision to launch  lawsuits against the Quebec government over tuition hikes for out-of-province students.  This underlines   how important it is that English institutions fight to preserve and defend our rights.

Since the  Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) has been in power they have gone out of their way to attack the English community and institutions like public school boards. At the English Montreal School Board, we have been at the forefront or part of lawsuits challenging Bill 40 (the abolition of school boards), Bill 21 (Secularism) and Bill 96 (English language).  We have won the first rounds at the Quebec Superior Court level for Bills 40 and 21 and we are waiting for proceedings to commence on Bill 96.

There is no question that the decision by the Quebec government to bring in new rules  to reduce the number of students coming from the rest of Canada at Concordia, McGill and Bishop’s was  a blatant attack against the English community. In the case of Bill 96, the EMSB became the first organization to challenge the law. Almost all of our elected officials agreed to support this initiative and we know this was the right thing. Court action is the only thing this government understands.

The Quebec English School Boards Association and all nine English school boards obtained a stay of Bill 40 in 2020, which was confirmed by the Québec Court of Appeal, based on the irreparable harm that implementing Bill 40 would cause to the English-speaking community, while waiting for a decision on the merits of the challenge.  The same judgment of the Quebec Court of Appeal reaffirmed that section 23 of the Canadian Charter prevents the province from interfering “with the linguistic and cultural concerns of the minority.”

When our English universities became scapegoats of our provincial government looking to gain points with the electorate after losing a Quebec City by-election loss, we let them know they had our support. The EMSB has the highest success rate among public school boards in Quebec. We want our students to move on to our  CEGEP and university system. The uncalled for tuition hike and new French requirements for English universities can only weaken Concordia and McGill and by extension Bishop’s in the Eastern Townships, which has a partial exemption.

All Quebecers must support Concordia and McGill while  continuing to stand behind the nine English school boards as we make our way through the courts. 

I would also like to add that despite the Quebec government’s concerns about students from outside of the province weakening the presence of the French language on the streets of Montreal, I state the contrary. Over the last number of years I have met so many staff members of the EMSB who did in fact come here from other provinces and countries and they have all enthusiastically learned how to speak, write and work in French.