Opinion: More than ever, we must cherish our universities
Op Eds
When I was nine, my parents moved our family from London, Ont., to Montreal for my dad's new job as principal of McGill University. Quebec was nearing a referendum on whether to separate from Canada. If we weren't the only English Canadian family to move to Quebec that year, we were among the few. My parents enrolled me and my four sisters in French school right away.
Being a unilingual anglophone in a French school during the referendum was a tough start. Fitting in — let alone making friends — was hard. I spent most of that first year fending off bullies targeting me and my younger sisters. It was a rough time, which we now simply call 'character building.'
But we grew to love Montreal, Quebec and McGill — where all five of us, and my mom, eventually studied. We attended so many McGill events growing up that I refer to it as a third parent. It helped raise me, and I owe McGill a lot.
I'm grateful my parents took that leap — one few would have considered — to uproot our family and immerse us in a different dimension of Canadian life. We embraced two languages, two cultures, and vastly expanded our understanding of our beautiful, complicated country.
By the time I was studying law at McGill in my 20s, Quebec faced a second referendum. Politics hadn't settled in the 15 years since the first vote. Quebecers remained divided about their place in Canada. As results came in on voting night, I imagine you could hear a pin drop across the country. Canada held together by just 54,000 votes. A staggering 94 per cent of eligible Quebecers voted — the highest turnout in the province's history.
In the wake of that vote — and amid a divisive climate — businessman and philanthropist Charles Bronfman endowed the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada (MISC). His vision was to deepen our understanding of Canada: its heritage, its social, political and economic future, and our role in the world.
At the time, it was hard to imagine overcoming such division. But we did. Over the past 30 years, MISC has contributed meaningfully to national discourse — advancing understanding of the issues that matter to Canadians.
In 2024, as an extension of MISC, Bronfman endowed the Charles Bronfman Conversations — an annual platform at McGill for Canadian and international leaders to share lived experience in navigating complex global issues.
If the referendums revealed the vulnerability of Canada's national identity and what we stand to lose when divided, today is a testament to the power of collective patriotism.
As we face new threats to our sovereignty and economy from our southern neighbour, there's never been a more important time to understand, defend and invest in what makes Canada strong. Our universities are central to that.
These institutions attract students, scholars and researchers from around the world, benefiting their communities, provinces and the country.
Universities must clearly communicate their role in supporting our economy and quality of life, so the public fully grasps the risks of weakening them. A few highlights:
Canada has the highest post-secondary attainment among G7 countries. In 2021, 57.5 per cent of Canadians aged 25–64 held a college or university credential — up 3.5 per cent from 2016. Nearly half of children in the lowest income quintile attend post-secondary schools.
GDP growth is closely tied to research, innovation and talent — areas where universities lead.
Three Canadian universities — McGill, the University of Toronto and UBC — are ranked in the global top 50 on the Times Higher Education list.
All Canadian universities operate in a fiercely competitive global context where many nations have made universities a cornerstone of economic growth. Fifteen years ago, China had two universities in the top 50; now it has five. This year, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and the UAE entered the top 200 for the first time.
The U.S. government's recent attempts to undermine its universities contrast sharply with this reality. Similarly, Quebec's 2023 move to raise tuition and impose French language requirements on non-Quebec students at its English universities is also out of step. The recent Quebec Superior Court ruling against these measures gives the government a chance to reset.
McGill, which has shaped my life for 45 years and so many others for over 200, is a jewel in Quebec's crown — like every university in the province.
It's the kind of place that inspires a young English Canadian family to move across the country — just to be a small part of the richness and value it brings to the world.
In his agreement with McGill endowing the Conversations, Bronfman shared this vision for how universities can strengthen countries:
'I keep on wondering about Canada and where it is positioned in the world — as opposed to where it should be positioned. We don't take as much advantage as we should of the 'neighbourhood' we are in — we can be the senior of the middle-sized countries. We have abdicated that role and are no longer consequential on a global stage. …
'I am curious whether our university system can be a leader — like in the U.S. or the U.K. — to help Canada assume a more important role in the world. We are facing serious issues and need to take stock of where we are. …
'I have always loved this country. I feel like Canada is a wonderful country and can continue to get better.'
Canada may not have chosen the uncertain path we're on — marked by a shifting political world order — but this moment offers a chance to leverage our strengths, confront our economic vulnerabilities with clarity and unite with purpose to build the stronger, more resilient nation we can become.
Our universities must be a vital part of that vision.
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