With regard to the quantitative measures taken as a result of the underfunding of our universities, I can tell you that the number of professors has remained unchanged since 1994, whereas the student population has increased by about one-third. For about the same number of professors, there are 33% more students.
There is also the issue of accumulated deferred maintenance. Universities are not adequately maintaining their buildings and are covering that up in their budgets, year after year. Accumulated deferred maintenance is estimated at approximately $400 million, an amount that is not included in the Government of Quebec's reporting environment. That shortfall or deficit is an added liability.
Because of those pressures, universities are increasingly inclined to overtax or overcharge their students and make them pay, in addition to tuition fees, what are called incidental fees, i.e., fees related to university campus life. In some institutions, incidental fees exceed even tuition fees. All those factors have a negative effect, especially because some institutions charge higher fees than others, which creates an imbalance among universities.