Since 2018, an agreement between the governments of France, Belgium, and Quebec has exempted francophone students from France and Belgium from the skyrocketing international tuition fee supplement. Under this collaborative initiative allowing Quebec to maintain the Francophonie, these undergraduate students are subject to the Canadian rate of tuition, while graduate students follow the Quebec rate of tuition. McGill’s French and Belgian student body constitutes a noteworthy 18.6 per cent of the university’s international student population.
This arrangement exclusively benefits students holding citizenship from these two countries, despite French being acknowledged as an official language in 28 nations worldwide, most of which are on the African continent. To genuinely advance the Quebec government’s supposed mission of increasing francophones in the province, including students from non-European French-speaking countries is a necessity.
In 2022, the Canadian government denied study permits to students from Algeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Togo, Senegal and Cameroon at a rate of 80 per cent, while applications from France boasted a nearly automatic acceptance rate with 93 per cent of students being successful. Quebec, the sole province in Canada where French is the primary language, is the region with the most limited prospects for obtaining permits for these students. During the 2022-23 year, the McGill International Student Body only had a combined 14 students from the DRC, Madagascar, and Cameroon, meanwhile these three countries have some of the highest French-speaking populations in the African continent. The DRC itself is the second most French-speaking country in the world, with an estimated 37 million people, followed by dozens of other African countries who struggled and resisted under French and Belgian colonialism. The disparity in approval rates between European and African French-speaking applicants undermines the fairness and inclusivity of the permit application process. In doing so, it hinders the diversity and richness that international students from various linguistic and cultural backgrounds bring to Quebec’s academic landscape.
This lack of action toward welcoming French-speaking students from non-European nations is unsurprising given the Quebec government’s oppositional stance toward multiculturalism. Premier François Legault has stated that there is only one culture, calling for a focus on “interculturalism” where newcomers are expected to integrate into the Quebec culture. This idea does not hold up as culture blends different influences, and Quebec’s culture cannot stand alone. Preserving one’s culture should not deny the integration of others, as this only deepens divisions and increases marginalization. By expanding programs that facilitate the entry of French speakers from non-European countries, Quebec society and culture has the opportunity to evolve and flourish, and for the language to thrive.
The Quebec government consistently claims that the province is not racist and that it is welcoming to immigrants. But the ongoing mistreatment of immigrants, particularly those from African nations, disproves that. The failure to extend reduced tuition benefits to these students perpetuates a neocolonial system, as it fails to acknowledge the historical context and the impact of colonialism on language acquisition. Francophone African students’ language proficiency is a result of a shared, colonial history. Denying them the same privilege as French and Belgian students perpetuates an inequitable system. Ensuring that all French-speaking students, regardless of their geography and ethnicity, receive equal treatment is fair and inclusive and promotes a more just immigration and educational environment for all.
Quebec’s universities should be advocating for the government to expand the agreement to offer the same educational opportunities to students coming from non-European nations and they should advocate for better treatment of these students upon their arrival. This will both help the Quebec government in increasing French in the province––a goal embodied by the recent tuition hikes at anglophone universities––and it will help diversify universities’ student bodies. The current discrepancy underscores the need for a more inclusive and equitable approach in educational policies to address systemic racism. Recognizing and rectifying such disparities is essential to foster a truly inclusive educational environment that values and respects the diverse linguistic and cultural identities present within the student body.
