Quebec strikes hard to enforce the new law 101 in the CEGEPs. The Lasalle college was imposed a penalty of $ 30 million for having exceeded the quotas of English-speaking students provided for by the ministry, of the unheard of.
For its general manager, Claude Marchand, the Quebec decision could force the establishment to close its doors. “This is an existential question for the LaSalle college. We speak of a third of his income, ”he assures an interview.
Since the adoption of Bill 96, CEGEPS and colleges have been subject to a maximum number of students in English programs.
For the first two years of the application of the regulation, the Lasalle college happily exceeded the contingents imposed by the Ministry of Higher Education, which fixed the bar between 700 and 800 English -speaking students.
In 2023, the overtaking reached 716 students, while it was 1066 the following year.
Consequently, Quebec must recover the amounts paid in excess and take off from the sums scheduled for next year, for a total of around $ 30 million over two years.
This year, the measure will create a hole of more than $ 21 million in the $ 29 million envelope usually paid by Quebec.
And, as international students pay 100% of their tuition fees, compression will affect Quebec students from the college, including the French -speaking component, pleads Claude Marchand.
Deadlines to comply
The CEO assures that its establishment has always intended to comply. It will also be done this year, he promises.
But the period of application of the law was too short for the reality of the college, he says. “It’s as if we were riding 110km/h on the highway and that, there was a sign at 60 km/h. We were sentenced from day 1, “said Mr. Marchand.
The quota was communicated to the LaSalle college in February 2023. But, as contracts with international students are signed a year in advance, the establishment could not adapt immediately.
“This contract, in accordance with the law on private education, it cannot be canceled unilaterally”, specifies Jean-Philippe Bastien, Deputy Managing Director of the establishment.
And, as the “photo” of the number of registrants is taken by the government in the fall, the deadline was too short to review the declining registrations, argue its leaders.
Companies, they had until last spring to review their external display in accordance with the new law, notes Mr. Marchand.
Unique model
In the cabinet of the Minister of Higher Education, Pascale Déry, we were stingy with comments on Thursday, since the college brought up the steps in the superior court to have the ministry’s decision invalidated.
Pascale Déry, Minister of Higher Education.
Photo d’archives Stevens Leblanc
“Despite tight support and several warnings, it is important to specify that Lasalle is the only private college subsidized to continue to challenge the French language charter and not to respect the law,” said the press officer in a written declaration.
Claude Marchand recognizes that his college is the only one to have been fine.
But his situation is unique, affirms his CEO, since it is, according to him, the only private establishment which receives international students for a certificate of college study, that is to say short training of 4 to 24 months.
What the law says
The number of students in English -speaking college institutions should not exceed 17.5% of the total workforce in the French and English network … or the number of students admitted the previous year. In other words, the proportion can never increase, only decrease.
