McGill, Concordia drop legal battle with Quebec government over tuition hikes

Advertisement

Advertise with us

MONTREAL - Concordia and McGill universities say they are abandoning their legal challenge against the Quebec government's decision to maintain a 33 per cent tuition hike for out-of-province students.

Read this article for free:


or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Subscribe and receive a limited-edition Free Press branded hat or tote.

Digital Subscription

One year of digital access for only $205*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles
Start now

*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/02/2026 (199 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MONTREAL – Concordia and McGill universities say they are abandoning their legal challenge against the Quebec government’s decision to maintain a 33 per cent tuition hike for out-of-province students.

The English universities won a ruling last April after the Superior Court overturned the hike of about $3,000, finding that it was unreasonable.

But the province formally entrenched the tuition increase in a revised framework published in January, saying the government wanted to ensure Quebec taxpayers weren’t subsidizing the education of out-of-province students.

People walk through McGill University's campus in Montreal on Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov
People walk through McGill University's campus in Montreal on Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

Premier François Legault has said the tuition hike is in part to reduce the number of English-speaking people in Montreal and protect the French language.

McGill University says that while it doesn’t believe the government’s response respects the 2025 court ruling, the school has decided that further litigation would undermine the university’s objectives.

A spokesperson for Concordia University says the school doesn’t have the financial means to continue the challenge and hopes it can work productively with the government.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 27, 2026.

Report Error Submit a Tip

Canada

LOAD CANADA ARTICLES