Question Period Note: The Université de l’Ontario français

The Governments of Canada and Ontario signed a bilateral funding agreement for the establishment of the Université de l’Ontario français on January 22, 2020. An administrative monitoring committee was established in order to undertake the due diligence process and follow the implementation of the Université de l’Ontario français project.

• This summer, the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario established a joint administrative monitoring committee in order to follow the implementation of the Université de l’Ontario français.
• This new French-language postsecondary institution will enable more young Francophones in Ontario to study and thrive in their own language, in their own community.

• In November 2018, the Government of Ontario announced its decision to withdraw its support for the Université de l’Ontario français. Following this announcement, the Government of Canada publicly committed to supporting the creation of the new post-secondary institution.
• In January 2019, Canadian Heritage entered into an agreement with the Université de l’Ontario français, as a non-profit organization, for 1.9 million dollars in funding for
2018-2020 to ensure that the team responsible for setting-up the institution could continue its work.
• The Université de l’Ontario français submitted a funding request to the Government of Ontario totaling 126 million dollars over eight years (2019-2027) to establish the new post-secondary institution with the expectation that the governments of Canada and Ontario would invest 50/50 into the project.
• For its part, the Université de l’Ontario français has committed to contributing
43 million dollars over eight years (2019-2027) to the project thanks to the income generated from students and other sources, bringing the total cost of the project to
169 million dollars over eight years.
• The Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario signed a memorandum of understanding on September 7, 2019, to jointly fund the establishment of the Université de l’Ontario français for the period of 2019-2020 to 2026-2027.

• A joint working group including representatives from the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario was created in September 2019 to work together and agree on eligible expenses, timelines and project activities, while following an appropriate due diligence process.
• The mandate letter of the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages includes the commitment to “Work with the province of Ontario to establish the Université de l’Ontario français.”
• The due diligence process was completed in late Fall 2019, and the Official Languages Branch of Canadian Heritage prepared a bilateral agreement in December 2019.
• The Governments of Canada and Ontario signed a funding agreement on January 22, 2020. The Université de l’Ontario français is expecting its first students as of Fall 2021.
• Minister Joly unveiled the Université de l’Ontario français’s site on February 26, 2020, at a public event with Dyane Adam, president of the UOF’s governing board, Ross Romano, Ontario Minister of Colleges and Universities, Caroline Mulroney, Ontario Minister of Francophone Affairs, and John Tory, Mayor of Toronto.
• During the summer of 2020, representatives from Canadian Heritage and the Government of Ontario established the Canada-Ontario Administrative Monitoring Committee on the establishment of the Université de l’Ontario français and the implementation of the Agreement.

None