Investigations into police must be vast and impartial

Attracting talent key to overcoming challenges, writes

Last week, the 2017 QS Best Student Cities survey ranked Montreal the best city in the world for students, placing it ahead of Paris (second), London (third), Boston (eighth), and Toronto (11th).

This is great news for Montreal. It is also a validation of the quality of training provided by our universities and the many opportunities the city has to offer.

The challenges are significant, however. Between 2012 and 2015, the number of international students increased by only 13 per cent in Montreal compared to 28 per cent in Toronto, 77 per cent in Vancouver and 26 per cent across Canada. And only one in three of these students stays in Quebec. That’s why we need to capitalize on Montreal’s new position and leverage international students’ positive perception of the city.

Two trends are underway in the economy of Greater Montreal: a demographic crunch and strong growth in high-tech sectors, leading to increased demand for skilled workers. As a result, Montreal’s unemployment rate has been dropping and now stands at 6.4 per cent.

That is good news, of course, but it also means we need to keep developing highly skilled workers and replenishing our talent pool. We can do that by encouraging young Quebecers to stay in school and by working harder to attract more international students and get them to settle in Montreal.

International students are the best of the best in terms of potential future Quebecers. They are already here, they have built their networks, and they will earn a Quebec degree. Those are all key factors that will facilitate their integration into Quebec society. What’s more, international students enrich the city’s cultural, social and academic fabric in addition to bringing diversity and fostering tolerance and open-mindedness.

They are tomorrow’s skilled workers, which are increasingly hard to find.

Their stay in Montreal also generates substantial economic benefits. In 2015 alone, students from outside Quebec contributed $367 million to Greater Montreal’s GDP, supported close to 3,500 additional jobs and generated $51 million in tax revenue for the Quebec government.

Quebec and Greater Montreal must act quickly and focus on developing a strategy to attract and retain international students, while keeping in mind the importance of promoting the French language and setting up mechanisms to assess student retention levels.

The new strategy must build on existing initiatives that have received financial support from the Quebec government. One such initiative is the ichoosemontreal.com platform recently launched by Montreal International and its partners to help retain international students.

We must find ways to help international students land their first job while in school or after graduation. To do so, the governments of Quebec and Canada must work with employers to make it easier for these students to secure their first job — for example, paid internships and summer jobs.

A recently released study by the Institut du Québec looks at the above avenues for action and makes additional recommendations on how to use our strengths and reverse the trend in Quebec.

Attracting and retaining international students is key to overcoming Greater Montreal’s growing economic and demographic challenges. The Quebec government must make it a priority to develop a clear, concerted strategy. And that strategy must be designed to better promote Montreal internationally as the world’s best student city and encourage local employers to offer more paid internships to international students.