Quebec private college association calls on CAQ to reconsider $30 million fine over English students

LaSalle College, which has been fined $30 million by the Quebec government for enrolling too many students in its English-language programs, is seen in Montreal on Friday, July 11, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press)

The Association des collèges privés du Québec (ACPQ) is urging François Legault’s Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government to negotiate with LaSalle College instead of imposing nearly $30 million in fines over English-speaking students.

“It unfairly compromises the viability of colleges that play an essential role in providing access to French-language post-secondary education here in Quebec,” the ACPQ said in a statement Monday.

Last week, the college confirmed it was being fined for enrolling too many students in its English-language programs over the past two academic years, saying it was accused of contravening Quebec’s French Language Charter.

It was amended under Bill 96 to only allow junior colleges to enroll a certain number of students in their English-language programs.

The ACPQ said it is alarmed by the CAQ’s move, which could threaten the college’s survival. It is calling for “a reasonable, fair and realistic solution to avoid irreversible consequences for LaSalle College and all its students.”

Private colleges receive some subsidies from the government, representing about 60 per cent of the subsidy allocated to students in the public system, according to the ACPQ.

“This substantial difference reflects the significant contribution of private colleges to the efficiency of Quebec’s higher education system,” it said.

The college association said it “commends the government’s stated commitment to protecting and promoting the French language,” and stressed that institutions like LaSalle College provide higher education in French.

The ACPQ participated in Bill 96 consultations in May 2023 and recommended a gradual implementation of new measures as it was worried about the fairness of the government’s proposed penalty system.

“However, we regret that the draft regulation concerning subsidy reductions unfairly and disproportionately targets many subsidized private colleges, which will jeopardize their sustainability,” the ACPQ said.

It added the penalty “is not only unjustified but counterproductive.”

Quebec’s Education Ministry told CTV News that the sanctions are in accordance with the French Language Charter and the regulation respecting reductions in subsidies paid to institutions offering college education, “as it enrolled a number of students in English-language college certificate programs that exceeded its quota.”

The matter is before the courts.

The ACPQ is demanding that the government quickly put in place a negotiated transition plan based on “justice, fairness and realism” and to treat LaSalle College “in line with its historical and current contribution to the promotion of the French language and higher education in Quebec” and avoid the closure of a major institution.

“The ACPQ therefore calls for a reasonable, fair and realistic solution to avoid irreversible consequences for LaSalle College and all its students,” it said.

With files from CTV News Montreal’s Rachel Lau