The recent announcement from McGill University to slash support for numerous varsity teams and competitive clubs was presented as the sober outcome of a lengthy internal review. The administration framed it as a structural necessity, an almost inevitable step. However, for the hundreds of student-athletes directly impacted and for Quebec's broader university sports system, this decision feels far from inevitable. It feels like a deliberate choice.
A Broken Social Contract for Student-Athletes
Ryan Hillier, a Montreal-based entrepreneur and lawyer, understands this perspective intimately. He came to Montreal in 2004, choosing the Université de Montréal for its law school and because he was recruited as a varsity football player. He reflects that had his program been shut down a year after his arrival, it would have been devastating, forcing him to question his city, sport, and dream.
Today, Hillier trains as a masters runner alongside McGill's track and field team—one of the programs now slated to vanish. He witnesses the sadness, frustration, and quiet disbelief among these athletes. For most, university represents the final chapter of high-level competitive sport. To have that opportunity ripped away mid-degree is not merely a line on a balance sheet; it represents a rupture in the social contract of loyalty and commitment between a university and its recruited student-athletes.
Consequences Extend Far Beyond McGill's Campus
This moment is bigger than McGill. Quebec already struggles to retain athletic talent, competing against better-funded programs in other Canadian provinces and the United States. Eliminating entire varsity ecosystems accelerates this erosion. It signals that Montreal, a city with a rich sports culture, may no longer be a destination where students can pursue academic excellence alongside high-performance training.
The cuts also impoverish campus life. Varsity sports foster belonging, pride, and resilience. They keep students engaged and grounded. Their disappearance harms the entire university community, not just those in uniform. If McGill, one of Canada's flagship institutions, chooses to abandon broad-based varsity participation, it sends a damaging message across the province and the country.
Alternative Paths: Imagination Over Elimination
Yet, there is still time for McGill to reconsider. Solutions exist that require imagination rather than elimination. Hillier proposes several paths forward:
Transparency and Collaboration: McGill should publish a detailed transition plan with clear numbers, timelines, and criteria, inviting athletes, alumni, and the community to engage. When people understand the constraints, they can help forge realistic solutions.
Modern Funding Models: Targeted donor campaigns, alumni endowments, and corporate sponsorships sustain programs across North America. Sports like track and field often operate on modest budgets. With creativity, strategic partnerships could preserve opportunities, much as universities fund research chairs and innovation hubs.
A Quebec-Wide Strategy: This crisis could spur a province-wide approach involving universities, municipalities, and sports federations. Shared facilities, co-funded coaching positions, and coordinated scheduling could reduce costs while preserving vital athletic pathways, leveraging Quebec's tradition of collective action.
Once these alternatives are considered, the stakes become clear. Cuts of this magnitude are not a fait accompli. They are a policy choice, and policy choices can be reconsidered, especially when they undermine the core mission of higher education: to help students reach their full potential. McGill can still choose differently. Quebec can choose differently. Young people deserve to know their ambitions matter and that the magic of believing in one's potential is worth protecting.
