Concordia University loses bid to delay Quebec’s out-of-province tuition hike

Justice Éric Dufour ruled on July 12 that the harm to the public interest from delaying the tuition increase outweighed the harm to the Montreal university.

A Quebec Superior Court judge has denied Concordia University’s request to delay a controversial tuition hike for out-of-province and international students.

Justice Éric Dufour ruled on July 12 that the harm to the public interest from delaying the tuition increase outweighed the harm to the Montreal university.

Starting this fall, out-of-province students at Quebec universities will pay 30 per cent more in tuition, around $12,000 a year.

Concordia says the change will lead to 12 per cent fewer registrations and a loss of $21 million in funding.

Concordia and McGill University argue the tuition hikes are discriminatory, but the Quebec government says Section 15 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms doesn’t protect people from discrimination based on language.

The two universities will argue their case against the tuition increase in court this fall.