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2d ago

LaSalle College Faces Nearly $30M in Fines Over English-Program Overenrollment

Fully compliant for the upcoming semester, LaSalle is challenging the penalties as an unfair recouping of subsidies under Quebec’s French-language law.

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Claude Marchand, president and CEO of LaSalle College, says the private Montreal college has been slapped with hefty fines it can't afford. The college is challenging them in a civil suit in Quebec's Superior Court.

Overview

  • The Quebec Ministry of Higher Education slapped LaSalle with a $21.1 million fine for enrolling 1,066 students beyond its 2024-25 English-program cap, adding to an $8.7 million penalty from the prior year.
  • LaSalle will meet English-program quotas in fall 2025 but has filed a civil suit in Quebec’s Superior Court to overturn both fines.
  • President Claude Marchand warns the college cannot afford the combined nearly $30 million penalties and labels them a government “clawback.”
  • Quebec officials say the fines are meant to recoup overpaid subsidies and uphold the French-language protections established by Bill 96.
  • LaSalle was the only institution fined for quota breaches in 2024 after other colleges successfully negotiated higher English-program caps during the transition period.