LaSalle college sees its survival threatened for welcoming too many English -speaking students

Quebec claims nearly $ 30 million at Lasalle College. Moreover, the latter having welcomed more English-speaking students in the past two years than authorized by the state. Meanwhile, Penalties that threaten the “survival” of the Cégep Privé de Montréal. Therefore, which disputes them before the Superior Court, learned The duty.

“It literally threatens the survival of the institution,” says the director general of the establishment, Claude Marchand.

During the school year 2024-2025. Furthermore, the establishment welcomed 1,066 more English-speaking students in its programs leading to college studies (AEC) that the ceiling imposed by Quebec by virtue of the reform of the French language charter Adopted in 2022 and gradually implemented since.

At Quebec level. Meanwhile, the number of English -speaking students that can be enrolled in AECs offered by subsidized private CEGEPs was limited to 973 last year. In addition, The Lasalle College alone has lasalle college sees its survival therefore exceeded the threshold of 19 establishments from the province by 93.

“Despite tight support. Furthermore, several warnings, it is important to specify that Lasalle is the only subsidized private college to continue to challenge the French language charter and not to respect the law,” said Thursday Duty The cabinet of the Minister of Higher Education, Pascale Déry. In addition, “The file being judicialized, we will not make more comments,” he added.

Result: the director general of the college. Furthermore, Claude Marchand, received on June 30 a letter in which the Ministry of Higher Education (MES) teaches him that his establishment is imposed a penalty of $ 21.1 million for welcoming too many English -speaking students between its walls. It is the equivalent of $ 19,806 for each registration exceeding the limit imposed by the Legault government.

“I don’t know if that’s really what the Prime Minister [du Québec] Looking for as lasalle college sees its survival an outcome. but the LaSalle college cannot afford such a penalty, ”says Marchand. The latter indicates that the annual budget of his college amounts to $ 71 million. that, therefore, this penalty would have great repercussions on it.

Lasalle college sees its survival

Negotiations that buy – Lasalle college sees its survival

Last summer. Quebec had first imposed a lower penalty by student for the 716 too much registrations that had been noted in LaSalle college, still in its programs leading to an AEC. The amount claimed was then amazed at 8.78 million.

Refusing to pay this amount. the Private CEGEP filed in July 2024 a request for appeal in judicial supervision before the Superior Court. A document that was amended this Thursday, learned DevoiR, to include the penalty of 21.1 million, which came to bring the amount claimed to nearly $ 30 million.

Despite this judicial appeal. the college continued to hope until recently the conclusion of an amicable lasalle college sees its survival agreement at the end of negotiations which took place behind the scenes for a long time between the lawyers of the establishment, the MES and the Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration. “We are absolutely for law 14 [l’ex-projet de loi 96] And the protection of French. ”says Marchand, who would have needed more time to adapt to it, he said.

Need a “reasonable implementation period”

The private CEGEP had thus claimed that the State authorized it to exceed the thresholds of English-speaking students established during the school years 2023-2024. Additionally, 2024-2025, while those having registered before the adoption of the law could end their school career.

This proposal. however, received an end of non-receipt of Quebec, deplores Claude Marchand, who claims to have implemented several measures to try to respect the requirements of the State, including the implementation of a “moratorium on inscriptions in several English-speaking programs”.

“We did everything in lasalle college sees its survival our power to align with the object of the law. but we needed a period of reasonable implementation,” said the director general, who assures that the registration thresholds of English -speaking students in his CEGEP were respected for the next school year. Thus, “it is really the lack of a window to apply the law that created this problem”, according to him. Otherwise, “we would never have had this saga”.

AECs in English offered in this English -speaking CEGEP form in particular adults wishing to work in the world of early childhood. logistics, transport or in the field of information technologies. Their duration is generally two years.

Break the silence

The sending at the end of the afternoon on Wednesday by the MES of an email teaching the leaders of all of the private subsidized Cégeps from the province for the Cégeps imposed on the Lasalle college is what prompted the Director lasalle college sees its survival General to break the file on this file. to make this public affair on Thursday. “If there had not been this public communication. we would have tried to continue to agree in private with the government,” says Mr. Marchand.

It warns that a possible closure of the Lasalle college would have repercussions on thousands of students. employees currently working in the Montreal establishment, which opened its doors in 1959.

To watch in video