Linguistic quotas: the cloth burns between Quebec and LaSalle College

The dispute between Quebec and the LaSalle college about English -speaking students is forcing the postponement of at least a day of the start of the school year initially scheduled for Monday, August 25.

In question, the penalty of $ 30 million received by the establishment for admitting too many English -speaking students in its ranks.

The establishment had 1,066 excessive English-speaking students in its college study programs (AEC) during the year 2024-2025 and 716 the previous year. However, since the reform of the Charter of the French language, aimed in particular to fight against the anglicization of the college network, the government allows it to accommodate around 900 English -speaking students per year in these programs.

And the penalties are substantial: more than $ 7,000 per excess student and the proportional freezing of provincial subsidies. This summer, the Ministry of Higher Education therefore retained $ 21.1 million intended for LaSalle College since it exceeded its 2024-2025 quota, which is added to the $ 8.7 million of the previous year.

In the email sent to the students to justify the return of the start of the school year, the management explains that the suspension of the courses stems from the decision abusive of the provincial government to impose a penalty on the establishment.

The budget of the private college depends at 40 % of the government, according to Claude Marchand, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Lasalle College.

The resumption of courses on Tuesday will depend on the state of discussions with Quebec.

CEGEP’s management says the fine threatens the survival of the 65 -year -old bilingual establishment. A legal action was brought to request the cancellation of the penalty.

Claude Marchand specifies that, for the fall of 2025, his establishment which welcomes 5000 students complied with the new regulations. We are really convinced that we haven’t done anything wronghe said in an interview CBC News on Friday, requesting a period of transition.

In an interview on the show First the info on here RDIMr. Marchand explained that private establishments such as his are subject to the law on private education which, unlike CEGEPs, [les] obliges to sign a service contract with students.

The school says it has not been able to respect the limits of English -speaking partly due to the number of foreign students who had been accepted before the announcement of the quotas.

Students are two years in advance. Then their studies last two to three years, and we cannot tear the contracts signed with them and interrupt their journey. So we were sentenced in advance.

The Lasalle college explains that, in the last year, even if it was above the quotas of English-speaking students for certificates of college studies (AEC), the fact that it is under the quotas for college diplomas (DEC) made that in the end, the establishment respected in a way the spirit of the law.

Students “hostage”, according to the minister

On the side of the Minister of Higher Education, the sound of bell is different. It is unacceptable that the establishment will take hostage students in the middle of a negotiation processsaid Minister Pascale Déry on social network X.

She recalls that The Lasalle College is the only subsidized private establishment to have challenged the law on official and common language for two years, French, despite tight support and several warnings.

Ms. Déry therefore invites college to show good faith and continue discussions, in the interest of students.

Mr. Marchand challenges the use by the Minister Déry of the word hostagesaying it was worrying et deeply inappropriate in the current global context.

Such a language has a weight that should not be taken lightly. We don’t take anyone hostage.

Mr. Marchand Request arbitration of Prime Minister François Legault, because according to him, the three stakeholder ministers in the file Do not agree on the regulations which could be proposed at the LaSalle college. These are the ministers of higher education, Pascale Déry, justice, Simon Jolin-Barrette, and the French language, François Roberge.

In its email to students, the college specifies that The campus will remain open and [qu’ils sont] always welcome to meet [ses] teams, [se] familiarize [leur] environment or just have a coffee with friends.

With information from Isaac Olson, CBC News, and Violette Cantin