Opinion: LaSalle College shares the blame for its troubles

Montreal Gazette

a day ago

Thirty million dollars. That's the staggering 'penalty' LaSalle College is facing for exceeding its English-language students limit for two years in a row.
A situation that could, according to the college's director general Claude Marchand, threaten the very survival of the 65-year-old institution.
Since last week, LaSalle College has been in full crisis-management mode. But managing a crisis doesn't give you a licence to say anything or spread misinformation. So let's set the record straight.
First, the so-called 'fine' isn't actually $30 million, contrary to what the college has been telling the media. A portion of that amount represents government subsidies LaSalle should never have received in the first place.
Take the 2024-2025 academic year as an example: of the $21 million the Higher Education Ministry is asking LaSalle to repay, $5.6 million corresponds to public funds issued for 1,066 English-language students who, under Quebec law, should not have been admitted. The remainder is a penalty imposed for exceeding the government-imposed quota.
Now, some might argue that a fine nearly three times the amount of the subsidies received is excessive — and it is, indeed. But others could say that it sends a strong message to all private colleges in Quebec: There are serious consequences for defying the rules.
Because LaSalle College is, in fact, the only private institution of its kind in Quebec to be in this situation for two consecutive years. Some other colleges may have slightly failed to meet the ministry's criteria — but not by a margin anywhere close to LaSalle's. Over 1,000 extra students in a single year — when the cap was actually 716 — does not seem like an honest oversight; it looks like a direct challenge to Quebec's democratically enacted laws.
If others managed to stay within the government's new quotas, why couldn't LaSalle? Marchand claims that admission contracts are signed with new students over a year in advance. But the new rules were voted in 2022 — giving the college nearly two years to adapt before the 2024-'25 school year in which it enrolled more than 1,000 extra students. So let's be honest: That argument doesn't really hold water.
That said, it's also unclear why the ministry disbursed $5.6 million in subsidies despite the excess admissions. Someone within the ministry should have flagged the problem well before the cheque was sent for students the institution was never allowed to enrol in the first place.
So, the responsibility appears to be shared here. On one side, LaSalle shouldn't have accepted these students, nor requested subsidies — approximately $5,000 per student — while knowingly breaching its legal limits. Meanwhile, the ministry should never have allocated those public funds, given the clear over-enrolment.
With that in mind, a reasonable solution might be to significantly reduce or even cancel the $15-million penalty and simply demand repayment of the $5.6 million in improperly awarded subsidies for 2024-'25, for instance.
In the end, this is a matter of fiscal responsibility. Every dollar of hard-earned taxpayer money received in violation of the law must be returned. This should be non-negotiable.
Marchand stated on X that the college is actually 'subsidizing the Quebec government' by generating $10 million more in public revenue than it receives in annual subsidies.
Most people will agree that LaSalle College is an important institution that deserves to survive. But should it receive special treatment just because of that? Absolutely not.
Making a positive contribution to Quebec's economy and society does not exempt you from following the law. Because if that were the case, any business could ignore the rules for the same reasons.
Whether we like it or not, laws are made to be enforced. And everyone is equally expected to follow them.
If LaSalle College wants to avoid fines in the future, it only needs to do what its competitors already do: abide by the law. It's as simple as that.
Raphaël Melançon is a public affairs consultant and political analyst. He previously worked as a journalist and political adviser at all three levels of government.