Quebec court overturns out-of-province tuition hike

A Quebec Superior Court judge has invalidated a university tuition hike for out-of-province students meant to reduce the number of English speakers in the province.

A ruling out Thursday says the Quebec government’s 2023 decision to increase out-of-province tuition by $3,000 — 33 per cent — was unreasonable and based on limited data.

However, the fee hike may remain in place for up to nine months until the government revises its tuition plan.

The decision also overturns a new requirement that 80 per cent of out-of-province undergraduate students at English-language universities reach an intermediate level of proficiency in French by the time they graduate.

Justice Eric Dufour says that requirement is unreasonable because of the “almost certain impossibility” that the universities will be able to meet the target.

McGill and Concordia universities launched a legal challenge of the changes last year, after the Quebec government said they were necessary to protect the French language in the province.