Bishop’s University was established to serve the English-speaking population of the Eastern Townships in 1843 when English-speakers were the majority. That is no longer the case and almost all English-speaking residents of this area have adjusted to that demographic reality. Bishop’s also has adjusted and thrives on educating students from all over, including students from the rest of Canada that make up a third of the enrolment at the university. Its main competitors are the small liberal arts colleges in the Maritimes: Acadia, St. Francis Xavier and Mount Allison. 

The recent decision by the Quebec government to almost double tuition fees for students from the rest of Canada threatens the survival of Bishop’s University. It is a sign of the solidarity of different groups that the Rector of the University of Sherbrooke, the mayor of Sherbrooke, the head of the local MRC and other politicians, all francophones, joined in asking the Quebec government to grant Bishop’s a dispensation, if we can borrow a word from an earlier era. Bishop’s University is a vital economic driver in the region. Indeed, it once had a small branch campus in Knowlton. The students from the rest of Canada are exposed to a much more French language milieu than those attending universities in Montreal, and are more likely to absorb the francophone culture. A positive decision about the future of Bishop’s University will help the region and the country in general.