Quebec’s recent $30 million in fines against LaSalle College are not just heavy-handed—they’re dangerous to the survival of a longstanding, bilingual institution that has contributed meaningfully to education in the province for over six decades.
Let’s be clear: LaSalle College isn’t some rogue actor thumbing its nose at the law. The college has openly admitted it exceeded its English-language student quotas in the last two years. But the situation is far more complex—and rooted in government mismanagement, not defiance.
When Quebec passed its sweeping new language law in 2022, it imposed quotas on the number of students that could be enrolled in English-language programs. But what it didn’t do was offer any kind of meaningful transition period. That’s not just bad policy—it’s bad faith. How could any institution be expected to suddenly reverse years of planning and admissions work overnight?
In its defense, LaSalle has laid out exactly what happened. Many of its international students begin their application processes more than a year in advance. They don’t just receive offers from the school—they go through immigration processes, obtain Quebec government-issued certificates of acceptance, and often make life-changing decisions to relocate based on these approvals. So when the same government that approved hundreds of these students later fined the college for enrolling them, it feels not just unfair—it feels like entrapment.
The numbers speak for themselves. In 2023-24, LaSalle was allotted just 693 spots for English-language students. Yet the Quebec government granted over 700 certificates to international students planning to enroll. How can the college be blamed for honoring government-sanctioned admissions? Were they supposed to rescind offers after students had uprooted their lives?
The fines—$8.8 million for 2023-24 and a jaw-dropping $21 million for 2024-25—aren’t just punishments; they’re existential threats. As Claude Marchand, the college president, rightly pointed out, no other institution has been penalized so severely. LaSalle is the only private subsidized college in the province to be hit this hard. Why? Is it being made an example of? Is this a warning shot to other institutions?
Higher Education Minister Pascale Déry defended the decision, claiming LaSalle was the only school that didn’t comply “despite close support and several warnings.” But support doesn’t mean much if the rules are poorly designed and inconsistently applied. If the government was serious about collaboration, it would’ve worked with colleges to phase in these quotas instead of slamming them with retroactive penalties.
Beyond the legal and logistical mess, there’s a deeper concern here: Quebec’s increasingly aggressive approach to language policy is alienating institutions, students, and communities. It risks turning education into a battleground instead of a bridge.
LaSalle College has taken steps to comply going forward. It’s frozen registrations in some English-language programs for 2024-25, and says it will meet the quota this fall. That’s a sign of good faith. But $30 million in fines for two years of unintentional over-enrollment? That’s not governance—that’s retribution.
This isn’t just about one school. It’s about the future of bilingual education in Quebec. The government needs to back down from punitive measures and start engaging with institutions as partners, not adversaries.
If not, it risks dismantling the very diversity and openness that has made Quebec’s education system respected—and LaSalle College a place where students from around the world want to learn.
