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Where do Quebec’s political parties stand on higher education?

With the provincial election less than a month away, we provide a roundup of platforms and promises.

University Affairs

September 10, 2026

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This article will be updated throughout the election campaign. The latest update was on Sept. 28, 2026.

As the Quebec provincial election approaches on Oct. 5, the competing parties have begun to clarify their positions regarding CEGEPs, universities, and students in general. The Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) and Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) have released the most comprehensive post-secondary platforms to date. The Parti québécois (PQ) has differentiated itself by promising to apply Bill 101 to CEGEPs. Québec solidaire (QS) is focusing on paid internships and free tuition, while the Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ) has recently announced a promise to educate more health professionals. Still, many important issues remain unaddressed in the parties’ platforms.

Compare the Political Parties

Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ)

Campaign promises:

The CAQ promises to invest $1,000 in the RESP of every child born in Quebec starting in the fall of 2027. This money can be put toward a vocational, college or university program. Projected cost: $218.8 million over four years.
Official announcement (in French)

Train more family doctors outside of major metropolitan areas through the Université du Québec network. The number of spots, funding and timelines have not been specified.
Official announcement (in French)

Extend Bill 101 to vocational training and adult education. No extension to CEGEPs has been announced.
Official announcement (in French)

Explicitly exempt higher education from the plan to eliminate 2,900 government positions. The exemption applies only to this specific round of cuts and does not shield the sector from all future cuts.
Official announcement (in French)

Offer a $10,000 bonus to students who graduate with a college diploma in early childhood education, and who commit to working for at least two years in a Centre de petite enfance (CPE) or subsidized daycare. The eligibility period, the number of people targeted, and the specific cost of this measure have not been specified.

Invest $400 million over four years to improve the Programme de formations de courte durée, which supports short-term training programs for workers. The party estimates this would help some 25,000 workers to acquire new skills and qualifications, or to move into sectors with high labour demand. The CAQ also pledges to track the effects of artificial intelligence on jobs and skills, in conjunction with the Pôle prospective emploi (a centre of expertise on workforce transformation) and l’Institut de la statistique du Québec, the province’s statistical agency.

Prior government measures, distinct from campaign promises:

$42.01 million announced on Aug. 20 to support 147 research infrastructure projects across 22 colleges and universities.
Government announcement (in French)

Cap on international student applications until Dec. 2027.
Government announcement (in French)

As of fall 2026, no new regional exemptions from differential tuition fees for international students will be issued.
Official rules (in French)

Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ)

Campaign promises:

Provide payment for student internships in the public sector, with an annual allocation of $375 million starting in 2028-29. The PLQ’s financial framework does not specify funding for 2026-27 and 2027-28.

Plan for an average annual growth of 5% in overall higher education spending from 2026-27 to 2030-31. The platform does not specify how the funds are to be distributed across institutions.

Review and simplify financial aid for education, taking into account parental contributions and housing costs.

Convene a national forum on the education system within the first 100 days.
Announcement – Aug. 15

Restore funding for College Centres for Technology Transfer (CCTTs) and the Conseil de l’innovation du Québec.

Foster collaboration among researchers, educational institutions and businesses.

Create an ethical framework for artificial intelligence and a workforce training and requalification strategy.

Establish a special committee on youth mental health, with no college or university component yet defined.
Full list of promises (in French)

Strengthen support for French-language help centres in CEGEPs, promote the broader dissemination of knowledge in French, and maintain the current ratio of enrollments in the French- and English-language college networks. The PLQ also supports adults’ freedom to choose their post-secondary institution.
French Language Plan, June 16

Invest $1.5 billion to add 40,000 social and affordable housing units over five years. A “significant share” would be reserved for several groups, including students. However, the party does not specify the number of student housing units, where they would be located, or how much funding would be allocated to them.

Parti québécois (PQ)

Campaign promises:

Support a large student-housing project at Université Laval in the Sainte-Foy borough of Quebec City. The number of housing units, cost, and timeline of the project have not been detailed.

Create an expert committee on artificial intelligence.

Expand Bill 101 to CEGEPs, announced Aug. 30. Eligibility rules for English-language CEGEPs, exemptions, timelines, cost and international student policy have yet to be clarified.
Official announcement (in French)

Pay minimum wage for mandatory final-year internships completed in public institutions, specifically in health care, social services, teaching and early childhood education. The measure would cover 12-week, full-time internships for DEP (Diplôme d’études professionnelles), college or university training. For a 420-hour internship, the party estimates compensation at nearly $7,000.

Invest an additional $10 million annually in psychological support at CEGEPs and universities, delivered directly on campus.

Create a new university district in Quebec City.

Support the creation of MD programs in a universities outside of the major metropolitan areas, including a faculty of medicine dedicated to emergency and family medicine. Plan to graduate an additional 200 doctors per year from existing medical faculties.

Previously stated parliamentary position, not yet a quantified campaign promise:

Opposition to the $151 million in budget cuts to 48 CEGEPs in 2025–26, due to their impact on student services, academic success, infrastructure and staff.
News release – Aug. 25, 2025 (in French)

Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ)

Main campaign promise:

Re-establish the previous funding formula for universities in regard to foreign students.

Revoke the Quebec acceptance certificate of anyone who arrives as a student and subsequently fails to pursue his/her studies, and automatically disqualify those persons from permanent selection.

The PCQ proposes adding 400 to 500 medical school admissions per year, and training and certifying 1,500 new specialized nurse practitioners over the course of its mandate. Its financial framework allocates $300 million and $267 million, respectively, over four years for these commitments. However, one discrepancy remains to be clarified: the party’s health-care announcement refers to 400 to 500 additional medical school admissions per year, while its financial framework instead indicates 300 to 500.

The party promises to invest $350 million in a fifth medical school outside of major metropolitan areas, which would train 125 new community MDs per year.

Health care platform and budget framework (in French)

Québec solidaire (QS)

Campaign promises:

Reduce university and CEGEP tuition for Quebec students by 50 per cent during in the Quebec Solidaire government’s first term in office. The party aims for fully free education in the medium term and estimates the cost of the measure at $350 million annually in 2030–31.

The party is promising payment for all mandatory internships. The government would fund internships in the public and community sectors, while private-sector companies would be responsible for paying their interns. With an estimated 140,000 students on mandatory internships every year, the party says its proposal will help reduce student financial insecurity, improve access to education and training, and reduce inequalities in fields dominated by women. The rate of pay, interns’ employment status, and the total cost of the measure have yet to be specified.

Previously documented official positions include: