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Montreal, January 27, 2010 – In order to help with the economic recovery and deal with the challenges Quebec will face in coming years, the Conference of Rectors and Principals of Quebec Universities (CREPUQ) presented this morning to Minister of Finance Raymond Bachand the following recommendations:

• make education THE top priority in Quebec;
• recognize the importance of increasing overall funding for education in general and the university system in particular;
• set ambitious objectives with regard to increasing the number of university graduates, offering more continuing education and increasing financing for university research;
• make firm commitments designed to make the Quebec university system a leader not only in Canada, but in the world.

As part of the 2010 pre-budget consultations, the CREPUQ proposals clearly reflect the consensus established by the hundred or so people who attended the economic meeting last week and agreed that education must be a priority for the Quebec government and our society as a whole.

“One of the undeniable priorities for Quebec in the coming years will be to improve productivity in order to maintain the level of services that people expect. Strengthening the education system in general and the university system in particular, is absolutely essential to improving our economic productivity. Few institutions are better equipped than universities to help accelerate productivity, through both teaching and research, and working in cooperation with industry and government,” said Heather Munroe-Blum, Chair of CREPUQ and Principal and Vice-Chancellor of McGill University.

“Improving the financial situation of our universities is crucial for Quebec, because university education and research are the keys to socioeconomic growth and development. Of all the main areas in which government is involved, education is the one that contributes most to improving the wealth and well-being of society as a whole. The richest societies are those where people are most educated. They also have more resources for providing high-quality public services,” added Daniel Zizian, President and Director General of CREPUQ.

The proposals presented to the Minister of Finance as part of the 2010 pre-budget consultations are available on the CREPUQ website.

CREPUQ includes all 18 Quebec universities. The organization acts as their voice in relations with government and higher education. It also fosters coordination and collaboration between universities, is a research centre for university administrations, acts as a centre for coordination and joint service delivery, and is a resource centre and think tank for its members.

Source:
Chantal Pouliot, Director of Communications
Conference of Rectors and Principals of Quebec Universities
514 288-8524, ext. 244