Question Period Note: Post-secondary institutions serving Francophone minority communities

The mandate letter of the Minister of Official Languages states the following commitment: "Increase funding for post-secondary institutions in official language minority communities and support the maintenance and vitality of official language minority communities by helping to build, renovate and develop educational and community spaces serving them".

• During the 2022 Cross-Canada Official Languages Consultations, official language minority communities expressed that high quality post-secondary institutions are essential to their vitality and to the development of French-speaking labour force.
• In the summer of 2022, our Government announced new investments to support post-secondary education in the minority official language across Canada.
• The Government of Canada is committed to working with provinces and territories to provide increased support for post-secondary institutions in official language minority communities.

• In Budget 2021, the Government of Canada announced new investments of $121.3 million over three years beginning in 2021-2022 to support high-quality post-secondary education in the minority official language across Canada.
• On March 1st, 2022, the Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (the Minister) tabled Bill C-13 An Act to amend the Official Languages Act, to enact the Use of French in Federally Regulated Businesses Act and to make related amendments to other Acts in the House of Commons. This Bill supports the government's commitment toward the continuum of education from early childhood to post-secondary education, education being one of the essential sectors to the vitality of official language minority communities.
• This summer, the Minister announced new investments for post-secondary institutions serving Francophone minority communities:
o In April 2022, $1.9 million in funding for the University of Sudbury to prepare its organizational assessment application and develop a business plan;
o In June 2022, approximately $27.8 million in support to the Université de Moncton for various improvement projects, including student scholarships. In addition, while in Edmonton, she announced $10.3 million in funding for Campus Saint-Jean to hire more faculty and staff, increase the number of programs and courses offered in French, and reactivate its French-language research center;
o In July 2022, an announcement of almost $5 million in funding for the Collège nordique francophone in the Northwest Territories which will allow them to prepare a plan to officially become a post-secondary institution in the fall of 2024;
o Also in July, the Minister announced $7.1 million in funding with the Government of Saskatchewan to enable the University of Regina and Collège Mathieu to build, renovate and expand post-secondary education space and to increase the availability of programs that serve official language minority communities;
o In August 2022, funding of $1.2 million over two years was also announced for Université Sainte-Anne in Nova Scotia to modernize the communication system with students and faculty.
• On October 14, 2022, the Nickel Belt MP announced that Collège Boréal will receive a total of $8 million over three years from the governments of Canada ($5.1 million) and Ontario ($2.9 million) to develop new bachelor's degrees. The project is funded through the Canada-Ontario Agreement on Minority Language Education and Second Official Language Instruction.
• On October 27, 2022, the Minister for Official Languages participated with the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Official Languages in the unveiling of the final report on the Postsecondary Education in Francophone Official Language Minority Communities (Report), organized by the Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne in partnership with the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadiennes. Funded by Canadian Heritage, the purpose of Report was to reflect on the current state of the postsecondary sector in a minority Francophone context and to offer possible solutions to ensure progress towards the real equality of English and French in the post-secondary sector.
• The final report contains 32 recommendations, 21 of which concern the Government of Canada. These are grouped into six sections: priority recommendations, student needs, program excellence, research excellence, the vitality of official language communities, and the financial sustainability of postsecondary education.
• Education is an area of provincial and territorial jurisdiction. The provincial and territorial governments are responsible for establishing plans, determining the objectives and priorities, and defining the contents for their programs in education. The federal government supports post-secondary education in the minority language through bilateral agreements.

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