Good morning, Mr. Chair, committee members and all participants.
On behalf of the Association des universités de la francophonie and the Consortium national de formation en santé, I would first like to thank you for the invitation, because I am now the Director General of both organizations. As I'm sure you understand, it is hard for me to separate the two in the context of your study.
I will begin by giving you a brief overview of the AUFC and the CNFS. I will then share a few observations regarding the important role our member institutions play in the economic development of francophone minority communities and I will conclude with a few recommendations.
The AUFC is a group of 14 francophone or bilingual universities in seven provinces outside Quebec. The programs offered by those institutions enhance the quality and scope of university learning, teaching and research in French, thereby contributing to the vitality and development of francophone minority communities. Every year, over 30,000 students enrol in the 750 programs offered in French at our member universities.
The CNFS is a group of 11 colleges and universities that offer programs in French in various health disciplines. The CNFS helps improve access to quality health services in French in francophone minority communities by training francophone and bilingual health care professionals.
Although your study is on the economic situation of official language minority communities, I should point out right from the start that our universities and colleges contribute enormously to the human, social, cultural and economic development of the Canadian francophonie and Canada as a whole. However, the reality is that they are recognized as the economic engine of francophone minority communities, and that is what I want to focus on today.
Our members' contributions to the development and enhancement of the francophone minority communities in which they are located are deeply rooted in the mission they are trying to achieve. Through both the quality of training they provide and the research they conduct, our post-secondary institutions use their knowledge to further promote their communities.
Economically speaking, post-secondary institutions are job creators as well as purchasers of goods and services. Just think for a moment about the economic contribution made by the 600 employees of the Université de Saint-Boniface in a community of 65,000 people.
Second, we must not forget the impact of basic and applied research. As hubs of research and innovation, our members contribute to the gains in productivity achieved in the economies of their communities, their regions, their provinces and the country as a whole. Our researchers do not conduct research just for the sake of making discoveries; they do their work for the benefit of their community.
Not far from here, the University of Ottawa conducted an economic impact study in 2012. The study found that that university alone contributes $4.12 billion annually to Ottawa-Gatineau.
But beyond the numbers, there is the leadership provided by post-secondary institutions within francophone minority communities. When it comes time to develop a community economically, socially and culturally, our institutions are partners and catalysts, rather than ivory towers.
In the context of community-university-college partnerships, we get experts from several sectors to sit down together and come up with multi-disciplinary solutions to the issues facing the community.
Consider for example Laurentian University’s School of Architecture and its impact on the revitalization of downtown Sudbury. Inaugurated just last September, this new architectural school is gradually transforming the downtown economy given that investors and businesses are following the school's example. The school is also training a new kind of architect versed in sustainable development and urbanization, and is introducing a new creative class into Greater Sudbury that is having a cultural and social impact.
When it comes to research, our francophone institutions transcend the language issue. They have adopted a much broader vision and welcome research chairs in many areas.
Our researchers will be the ones to produce tomorrow's breakthroughs and feed Canada's innovation ecosystem. As we already know, the most prosperous communities are those that have managed to shift to a knowledge-based economy. Job creation in francophone minority communities is therefore directly linked to our institutions' growing research capacity.
We recognize the federal government's vital role in research and hope that in its next five-year strategy for science, technology and innovation, the government will acknowledge the growing research capacity of Canada's francophone post-secondary institutions and its impact on economic growth.
In that context, the high level of cooperation between post-secondary institutions and businesses of all sizes deserves to be acknowledged. The many university-college-business partnerships contribute to developing the talent behind business innovation and promoting the technological transfer from post-secondary institutions to the private sector.
The government, especially through the National Research Council of Canada, has done a lot to increase the number of industrial internships and it must stay the course. The increased number of internships in francophone minority community institutions and businesses will make it easier to retain graduates who often enter the business community upon graduation. This in turn will also generate job-creating ideas.
The infrastructure used for education and research is another aspect that interests us. Recently, the government announced that for the next 10 years, its new building Canada fund would include an innovation component for which post-secondary institutions would be eligible.
I would now like to move on to the internationalization of our campuses and the important role that post-secondary education plays in immigration.
The aging population affects the country as a whole, but the demographic pressures are even more intense on the francophone minority communities. We are running the risk of no longer having enough available workers in those communities to build a modern, technology-driven economy. Immigration, and the economic integration of international students in our communities in particular, is becoming our only hope.
Canada has just come up with a new five-year strategy for international education. The primary objective is to double the number of international students in Canada by 2022. It is clear that the international students in our institutions are the ideal candidates to immigrate to Canada and settle in francophone communities since they hold Canadian diplomas, master both official languages and, for the most part, have relevant work experience. Over the past few years, Canadian francophone colleges and universities have accepted more and more international students and provided them with various training and employability programs.
The demographic portrait of the student population in our institutions has changed quite a bit over the years and has become more diverse. For example, international students represent 18% of all students at the Université de Moncton and 15% of the student population at the Université de Saint-Boniface.
Canadian francophone universities want to do more in terms of international education and immigration to ensure the economic development of their communities. The government could support them by providing a broader range of training and related services to immigrant students, international students and French-speaking immigrants in francophone minority communities. What is more, the implementation of a targeted bursary program for post-secondary institutions in Canada's francophonie would be a step in the right direction for making it easier to recruit students.
Before moving on to solid recommendations, allow me to close by saying that our members hold a unique place in the francophone minority communities and play an essential leadership role. They are veritable economic engines in these communities, but they can only fulfill their mission in partnership with other players, including government.
Allow me to close with four recommendations.
First, in its next five-year strategy for science, technology and innovation, the government might recognize the growing research capacity of Canada's francophone post-secondary institutions and its impact on the economic growth of francophone minority communities.
Second, increasing the number of internships in businesses in francophone minority communities would make it easier to retain graduates in those communities.
Third, as far as the innovation component of the new building Canada fund is concerned, it will be up to Canada's francophonie institutions to put forward solid proposals in cooperation with the provinces, but federal decision-makers have to be aware of the economic impact of education and research on francophone minority communities.
Finally, the government could support Canada's francophonie institutions in providing a broader range of training and related services to immigrant students, international students and French-speaking immigrants. What is more, the implementation of a targeted bursary program might attract more international students to francophone minority communities.
Again, thank you for inviting us here today. I would be pleased to answer your questions.