Shapiro uses the example of graduate programs as an area where the government could use the latter option. The weight given to graduate programs by Quebec is lower than in any other province, he notes. This reflects the reality that the government hasn't felt that research programs were that relevant. Figuring among Shapiro's reservations about the Legault paper is the question of universities preparing students for the job market. The whole high-tech industry now is driven by pure research that was done 40 years ago.
Pure research is the best protection for society.
We don't know what an employer will want next week, much less next year. There's a disjunction between the market and what universities do, but over time, adjustments take place naturally. Another shortcoming Shapiro points to is the Ministry of Education's proposed formula for determining the education budget based on a percentage of gross provincial product. GPP doesn't matter. But that's a wrong index if we are concerned with the results.