Quebec Superior Court rules in Concordia’s favour on tuition changes, francization

Dear Concordians,

I write to share that the Superior Court of Quebec has ruled in favour of Concordia in the legal challenge against the government’s changes to tuition fees for out-of-province students. The court has determined the fees to be “unreasonable,” as the government provided little factual evidence supporting its claims as to why they were necessary.

On similar grounds, the court also struck down immediately and in its entirety the requirement, under the threat of financial penalties, that 80 per cent of graduating students from English-speaking universities attain an intermediate level of French. Here, I want to reiterate Concordia’s ongoing commitment to supporting our students’ efforts to achieve French-language proficiency. Our longstanding work in this area predates the measures in question and reflects our willingness to do our part to promote and protect the vitality of French in Quebec and Canada.

Because the increase to out-of-province fees is already built into the Règles budgétaires, the fees remain temporarily in effect as the court has given the government nine months to comply with its ruling.

With regard to the change in the funding framework for international students, the court upheld the government’s authority to re-regulate those fees.

In the coming days, we will continue to analyze the judgment to fully understand its impact for Concordia, English-speaking institutions and the Quebec university network. With the decision now rendered, the government has 30 days to appeal.

Although I find little satisfaction in today’s decision — we were left no option but to challenge the government’s policies on legal grounds — I am reassured by the court’s findings.

I want to thank our board, my colleagues, our formidable legal teams internal and external, our community and countless friends in Quebec and elsewhere who have supported us through this long, arduous process.

These are very difficult times for higher education in Quebec and around the world. My hope is that today’s decision can serve as a catalyst for the government and our entire university sector to hit reset. In this period of great disruption, where a strong, creative knowledge economy is pivotal to our collective futures, I believe it is more important than ever before for us to work together in a spirit of true collaboration.

Let’s ensure that the world-class university network we have built in Quebec over many generations can now move forward, thrive and realize its full potential for the benefit of all Quebecers.

Graham Carr
President and Vice-Chancellor