It's not often that you see a government minister tell the truth quite as obviously as Jason Kenney did yesterday. Kenney, the Immigration Minister, said that Canada's post-secondary institutions count on international students as a "source of revenue." Yes, yes they do. International students are typically charged twice the level of tuition of a Canadian student (loosely, Canadian born or Canadian citizen). Over the last number of years Canadian institutions have started recruiting heavily overseas, even going so far as opening sattelite campuses on foreign shores. The AUCC as recently as its 2008 federal budget consultation submission ranked federally-funded scholarships for international students ahead of dealing with the impending end of the Millennium Scholarship Foundation's need-based bursaries for Canadian students (although they claim their numbered list of recommendations wasn't ranked, in so far as numbered lists cannot be ranked). So, that someone called them on their motivations for admitting more international students was ramarkable.
Of course, Kenney was announcing that the Conservative government was prepared to "substantially increase" the number of visas they issue to international students who want to study here. So, take it for what it's worth.
At the risk of coming across all xenophobic, let me say this: I believe that international students breathe life into a campus. Having gone to a small university where a small number of international students were an increasingly large part of the campus community I believe I was enriched by my exchanges with people from around the globe (especially studying international relations). But let's not be blind on this question. And let's certainly insist that as more international students are brought to Canadian campuses the support they need to succeed, and perhaps become a lasting part of the Canadian social fabric, are in place at the schools they attend. This, at least, should be a part of the bargain for charging them so much more than anyone else from home and native land.
Lastly, let's not forget that increasing international student enrollments should not and cannot be a solution to problems we have getting our own young people the education they need. You're still about twice as likely to go to university if you come from a family in the top two fifths of income than in the bottom fifth in Canada (slightly less than twice as likely for college). You're much much more likely to go to university (maybe only much more likely for college) if you're white than if you're from a First Nation band, if you're Inuit or Metis. These things can't be ignored while we recruit students from among the wealthiest of other nations around the globe.
*End of rant*
(H/T the indispensable Dale Kirby)
