‘Excessive, abusive’: With $30M fine looming, LaSalle College students worried for future

Students at LaSalle College are expressing concern about the school’s future – and their own – as the shadow of a $30 million fine looms large as the new semester begins.

“I’m worried that either they’re going to shut down the school because of lack of funding or make our tuition much higher, which is obviously going to be higher on everyone,” a student told CityNews.

The downtown Montreal college is facing the fine for accepting too many English-speaking students, which it has admitted to. It was hoping to reach an agreement with the Quebec government before the start of school, which did not happen.

“The $8.8 million for last year was the equivalent of 40 per cent of the operating grant, and the amount of 21.1 (million dollars) this year is over 100 per cent of the operating grant, which leads to the question, how can we operate without those grants?” said Claude Marchand, chair of the board and CEO of LaSalle College.

Marchand says he recently met with the teachers at the institution.

“They don’t understand, nobody understands, and I think even in general population,– although law must always be respected, although there’s consensus that we need to protect French language in Quebec because we’re proud of it, it’s such an essential part of our culture – people don’t understand why LaSalle College should pay such an amount of $30 million

“So, there’s this feeling that this fine is excessive, abusive.”

The CAQ imposed limits on the number of students who can be enrolled in English-language college programs as part of a new language law passed in 2022.

LaSalle College, which has served Quebec students since 1959, is asking the Superior Court to overturn this.

Marchand says he’s hopeful they can come to an agreement with the office of Quebec’s Higher Education Minister Pascale Déry soon.

In a statement to CityNews, Minister Déry’s office said: “It should be noted that Lasalle College is the only subsidized private institution to have knowingly defied the Official Language Act for two years, despite close monitoring and several warnings.

“Out of respect for the process and ongoing negotiations, we will not comment further at this time.”

Students were back in class Tuesday for the fall semester after the start of classes was postponed.