Thank you for your question, Mr. Brunelle Duceppe.
As you know, many French-speaking students from Africa sometimes obtain scholarships from the Quebec government. They get living expenses and they either pay no tuition or the same fees as Quebeckers. The scholarships these students receive are therefore based on their merits.
However, we are seeing that, despite those students obtaining the scholarships in the Quebec system, the Government of Canada sometimes refuses to grant them study permits for financial reasons.
We have two questions. First, when Quebec verifies the financial situation of applicants and accepts them, why does IRCC, representing Canada, refuse the permit for financial reasons, when the application had been accepted for financial reasons? That just doesn't seem right. Second, why are students selected by designated institutions in Quebec sometimes denied permits by Canada, even though they have scholarships?
In our view, this shows a lack of consistency between Quebec's selection criteria and Canada's. If the criteria for refusing study permits were linked to criminal record checks and so on, it would be fine. However, when the refusals are linked to an officer's belief that the student will not return to their country, even though Quebec and every Canadian province have put strategies in place to retain them, it is really alarming.
We therefore propose a clear and precise recommendation: an increased dialogue between the governments of Quebec and Canada with a view to scrupulously observing each party's responsibilities under the Canada-Quebec Accord of 1991, with special emphasis on the selections made by Quebec.