McGill will take part in Project Hero, becoming the second Quebec university to announce its participation in the scholarship program, which provides free tuition for the children of Canadian military killed while serving in an active mission since 2002.
"We felt this was a small way in which we could show our support to individuals who are making a supreme sacrifice for the country, and a sacrifice that seriously and profoundly impacts their families," said Morton Mendelson, deputy provost (student life and learning). "So that was the spirit in which we're doing this."
Since Canada's involvement in Afghanistan began in 2002, 131 Canadian soldiers have been killed during the mission.
Project Hero is the initiative of Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel Kevin Reed and Retired General and former Chief of the Defence Staff Rick Hillier, and was first adopted by Memorial University, the University of Ottawa, the University of Windsor, and the University of Calgary.
Concordia signed up for the project in July, becoming the first Quebec university to do so.
Eligible students will receive tuition for an undergraduate program of up to four years.
In order to meet the eligibility requirements for the tuition exemption, students must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident under the age of 26, and be a dependent of a member of the Canadian Forces killed while on active duty.
Students will have to gain admission to McGill, and maintain satisfactory academic standing as a full-time student to be eligible.
"We're talking about individuals who are accepted to the university," said Mendelson. "This is not a free pass for admission to the university, it is financial aid provided to students who are duly admitted and then qualify for the scholarship."
Yet, according to Mendelson, the hope is that Project Hero doesn't have to provide for too many students.
"I hope and pray that there will not be a lot of people who can apply for this, because that would reflect the number of individuals who are impacted by deaths in the Canadian armed forces," he said.
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