Dawson College officials in Montreal say they want a meeting with Quebec’s Premier François Legault to discuss the province’s decision to shelve the CEGEP’s expansion plans.
“We’re not asking for more. We’re not asking for anything fancy, we’re asking for what we’re entitled to,” said Diane Gauvin, the college’s director general.
For seven years, the college and the ministry have been working on a $100-million expansion plan to build a new pavilion and correct a serious space deficit.
The pavilion was set to house the English CEGEP’s health and sciences program, which would include a student-run clinic and enough space to incorporate the teaching of new technologies.
But the province abruptly pulled the plug, saying they would instead prioritize funding for Francophone CEGEPs.
“It’s a shame that not only we are going to be affecting the level of education or the type of specific training these disciplines would benefit from, it’s also detrimental to the health network,” said Tim Miller, a Dawson faculty member in the physiotherapy technology department.
Dawson College officials called the move discriminatory.
“I believe that it’s inequitable treatment of all our students at Dawson,” said Gauvin.
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“We do not make a distinction of Anglophones, Francophones, Allophones, English. We have a very multicultural environment and it’s a discrimination for all Dawson students.”
Gauvin fears the school and its students are caught in a political game.
“The facts show that we have a need, that the ministry recognized the needs, that they supported Dawson, the Premier came out numerous times to support the Dawson project. In the last few weeks, the situation has completely changed while the environment and the facts have not. So clearly it appears to be a political decision,” Gauvin said.
Dawson College now counts with the support of Montreal-based French-language CEGEPS who believe a loss for Dawson is a loss for all.
“I’ve talked about an eco-system in Montreal. This ecosystem foresees a certain number of students. If an establishment welcomes less students and we can accommodate less students collectively … then what will happen is that there will be students that won’t find spots in the college of their choice,” said Nathalie Vallée, the head of the Regroupement des CEGEPS de Montreal.
READ MORE: PQ picks a fight with Dawson College over $100m campus project
A spokesperson for the Premier said that the government will not change its mind.
“We have chosen to prioritize expansion projects in French-speaking CEGEPs and universities in the Greater Montreal due to a high demand and the anticipated needs. Minister McCann is looking to find other alternatives with Dawson, but the expansion as we know it, won’t go ahead,” wrote Ewan Sauves.
Quebec’s Minister of Higher Education, Danielle McCann was not available for comment.
Valérie Chamula, a spokesperson for the minister said her position hasn’t changed. “We will certainly help Dawson with renting like we’re helping other CEGEPs also but we have to make a choice and we have also to protect the French language in Montreal,” McCann said on Feb. 7.
Dawson College officials say they will keep pushing for a meeting before evaluating other options.
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