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

Budget 2023 provides $679.2 million in funding over five years to support, notably, quality minority-language education and second-language learning opportunities, as well as $8.5 million over five years to support the creation and dissemination of scientific knowledge in French. For its part, the 2023-2028 Action Plan provides up to $128 million over 4 years starting in 2024-2025 for funding of minority language post-secondary institutions, in addition to the $30.4 million announced in the 2021 budget for the 2023-2024 period.

• Our government has provided $679.2 million over five years in Budget 2023 to support, notably, quality education in English and French, as well as second-language learning, in collaboration with provincial and territorial governments.
• Through the 2023-2028 Action Plan, our Government is proud to invest up to $128 million over 4 years starting in 2024-2025 to support post-secondary education in the minority language.
• The Government of Canada is committed to working with provinces and territories to support post-secondary institutions in official language minority communities, which contributes to their vitality and to the training of tomorrow’s bilingual and qualified workforce.

• Budget 2023 provides $679.2 million in funding over five years to support, notably, quality minority-language education and second-language learning opportunities, as well as $8.5 million over five years to support the creation and dissemination of scientific knowledge in French. For its part, the 2023-2028 Action Plan provides up to $128 million over 4 years starting in 2024-2025 for funding of minority language post-secondary institutions, in addition to the $30.4 million announced in the 2021 budget for the 2023-2024 period.
• On February 8, 2023, the governments of Canada and Ontario announced that they will provide $20.4 million and $14.3 million respectively to the University of Ottawa to fund five projects that will support French-language post-secondary education: Improving, expanding and structuring the offer of postsecondary programs in French; Recruitment and access to teacher education; Teacher training in technological education; Creation of a Carrefour d'excellence pour l'enseignement en français; and Laboratory facilities for Francophone health sciences programs.
• In the summer of 2022, the Minister announced new investments for post-secondary institutions serving Francophone minority communities, among others:
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 centre.
o In July 2022, an announcement of almost $4 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.
• The mandate letter of the Minister of Official Languages (December 16, 2021) includes a commitment to "increase funding 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. The recent initiatives mentioned above were funded through Budget 2021 funds to support post-secondary education in the official language of the minority.
• 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 and a Protocol for Agreements for Minority-Language Education and Second-Language Instruction.
• On March 1st, 2022, the Minister of Official Languages 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. The latter supports, notably, the government's commitment toward the continuum of education from early childhood to post-secondary education. This bill passed third reading in the House of Commons on May 15, 2023, allowing it to continue its legislative journey in the Senate.

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