Ligne du temps_AFE_anglais

2012

1974

2002-2003

Timeline

1981

1981-1990

1989-1990

1990-1995

1990s

1996

1999-2000

2004-2005

2005

2007-2008

Early Stages of the Student Financial Assistance Program

Second Reform: The Early days of the Loans and Bursaries Program

Third Reform: A Contested “Reengineering”

Maple Spring and Post-2012 Consensus

2013

2013-2020

Since 2020: from the COVID Pandemic to Inflation

Note : With information from the Direction de l’accessibilité financière aux études under the ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur du Québec.

First Reform:Formulating the Fundamental Principles

2020-2023

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2023

Student Financial Assistance in the Province of Québec

1966

1967-1968

Annual increase of the maximum loan amount.

Creation of a deferred repayment program, which extends the repayment period for student loans.

The government moves forward with a major increase in university tuition fees. However, this increase is later limited to indexation thanks to the action of student associations.

The government decides against increasing tuition fees in the face of the threat of a student strike.

Increase in the maximum loan amount.

Photo : Assemblée nationale du Québec Source : Marc-Lautenbacher (2010) via Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

• Reduction in student and parental contributions.
• Mechanisms to facilitate student debt repayment.

1990 et les suivantes

Adoption of the draft act on loans and bursaries, which marks the second reform of the Program:

• Creation of financial incentives to promote the completion of academic training within the expected timeframe.

• After a certain number of semesters, assistance is granted only in the form of a loan.

• Establishment of a debt limit.

Photo: Jean Charest, Premier of Québec from 2003 to 2012 Source: Asclepias (2010) via WikiCommons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Jean Charest’s Liberal government, through its attempt at “reengineering the state” with social expenditures reduced to a minimum, seeks to convert $103 million in bursaries into loans.

2004-2005

Major changes to the Program:

• Transition to monthly payments.
• Significant increase in allowable student contributions and household expenses.
• Calculation of the portion corresponding to the loan, for a designation year, based on the number of months of studies during the designation year.

• index tuition fees with the growth of household disposable income;
• maintain the special allowance for school fees and the compensatory allowance, thereby covering the indexation of tuition fees in the form of a bursary for students who have already received a bursary and in the form of a loan for those who have received a loan only;
• improve the parental contribution threshold when calculating financial assistance;
• set up a work project with student associations to improve student financial assistance to the tune of $25 million per year;
• maintain the planned improvements to the deferred repayment program by extending the eligibility period;
• improve the contribution threshold for third parties and increase allowable living expenses.

2013

At the end of the Sommet sur l’enseignement supérieur, the government announces its commitment to:

Photo: Demonstration during the 2005 student strike Source: Colocho (2005) via WikiCommons, Public Domain

2005 student strike; the government backs down on some aspects of its reform after negotiating a tentative agreement with student associations:

2005

• The tentative agreement calls for $482 million in loans to be reinvested in bursaries over five years. The $103 million previously converted into loans is to be returned by 2006.

• The tentative agreement provides for the Canadian Millennium Scholarships Foundation to increase its contribution in assistance by $40 million for 2 years.

Photo: Demonstration during the 2012 student strike Source: Chicoutimi (2012) via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Jean Charest’s Liberal government plans to raise university tuition fees by $1,778 over seven years. Student associations launch the longest strike of Québec’s student movement from February to September 2012. The increase is nullified by a decree on September 4, 2012 by the PQ government.

2012

Photo: Marie-Guyart building in Québec City, offices of the ministère de l’Éducation Source : Gilbert Bochenek (2007) via Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain c

Adoption of the first Act respecting financial assistance for education expenses by Québec following the creation of the ministère de l’Éducation.

1966

The total amount of the assistance granted includes a portion awarded in the form of a loan negotiable at a financial institution and another portion awarded in the form of a bursary. More than 50,000 students are then eligible and borrow $26.2 million.

Creation of the Loans for Part-Time Studies Program. A part-time student can be considered full-time if they have family responsibilities.

2002-2003

Continuation of the commitments made in 2013, through regular indexation of Program parameters and through a number of improvements:

• increased allowable living expenses;
• increased allowable living expenses for children;
• improvement of the Part-Time Program;
• increased alimony and bursary exemptions;
• reduced third-party contributions;
• improvements aimed at targeted student populations (in rural areas, interns).

2013-2020

Photo: Assemblée nationale du Québec Source: Bouchecl (2007) via Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0

Implementation of the Program’s first legislative reform. The principles that still govern the provision of loans and bursaries today under the current Program are as follows:

1974

• No person should be denied access to higher education because of insufficient financial resources.
• Students and, if applicable, their parents must remain primarily responsible for financing their own education, with government assistance being complementary.
• Financial assistance must first be awarded in the form of a loan before being awarded in the form of a bursary.

Photo: Université of Québec Head Office Source: Reseauuq (2022) via WikiCommons CC BY-SA 4.0

Creation of the first 12 CEGEPs and the Université du Québec; Québec’s access to education model is taking shape.

1967-1968

Financial assistance increases to nearly $40 million.

Fifty-dollar tuition fee increase per semester and improvements in the calculation of financial assistance.

• Indexation of the main calculation parameters every year.

• Reduced parental contribution.
• Increase in the assistance amount to make up for rising tuition costs.

2007-2008

Improvements are made to the Program in the wake of the COVID pandemic and the inflation that ensued:

• Suspension of interest and student debt repayment from April 1, 2020 to September 30, 2020.
• Suspension of interest on student loans from April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2023.
• Introduction of an extraordinary eligible expense in connection with the COVID pandemic, made permanent from 2023–2024.
• Increased allowable living expenses.
• Increased allowance for training support equipment.
• Reduced student and third-party contributions in calculating financial assistance.

2020-2023

Photo : Parliament of Canada Source : Seigoder (2007) via Flickr, CC BY NC 2.0

Millennium Scholarships Agreement signed by the Canadian Millennium Scholarships Foundation and the Gouvernement du Québec.

• Under this agreement, the Foundation agrees not to transfer scholarships directly to the student population and will make an annual contribution of $70 million to the province of Québec.
• Half of this amount is allocated to reducing debt by cutting back on the maximum loan amount.
• Indexation of various Program parameters. régime.

1999-2000

• Creation of the Comité consultatif sur l’accessibilité financière aux études governed by the ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur.

The Minister responsible for the ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur injects $140 million into the Student Financial Assistance Program. The following yearly contributions are designed to better support the student population:

• by increasing the portion of financial assistance granted in the form of bursaries for people with dependent children who are recognized as full-time students;
• by indexing certain parameters of the student financial assistance programs at a rate of 6.44%, given the inflation environment;
• by making permanent the increase in allowable living expenses implemented during the pandemic.

2023