Finance committee  To us, granting funding with strings attached is like telling the universities exactly what they have to develop. We do not believe that this will allow the universities to foster competitive knowledge on the world stage. Knowledge requires certain autonomy. We know that the government has granting agencies that fund certain areas of research.

Finance committee  We would still prefer that the provinces have full control of everything to do with education and, accordingly, the funding. We would be in favour of direct transfers to the provinces and allowing the provinces to decide how to use the funding. This funding should not come with strings attached when it comes to education in general or for the granting agencies.

Finance committee  Over the past year, we have worked with other organizations in Quebec to calculate how much we are owed. The cuts to post-secondary education did indeed occur under Mr. Axworthy and had a major impact on funding for universities. Currently in Quebec, universities are underfunded by $375 million.

Finance committee  The different amounts that are transferred to post-secondary education mostly consist of loans and bursaries and commitments to foundations. These transfers are not part of the Canada Social Transfer. That is why, together with a host of other social and political organizations across Canada, we keep asking for $3.5 billion.

Finance committee  It is for education in its entirety, not just for a loans and bursary program. For that type of system, the funding allocated to research is not part of that transfer. The loans and bursary program also needs a great deal of money, as we were saying in our presentation.

Finance committee  On one hand, the research funding has been diluted. On the other hand, we have had the right to withdraw from a good portion of the funding for loans and bursaries since the 1960s. The allocations are truly separate. Also, in the past four years, there have been cuts to the transfers to Quebec for loans and bursaries.

Finance committee  For loans and bursaries in Quebec alone.

Finance committee  The $100 million for loans and bursaries we are talking about does indeed cover the millennium scholarships that were cut for the last year. Quebec cannot withdraw with full compensation from the new Canada Student Grants Program, which replaces the CMS Foundation.

Finance committee  The shortfall in Canadian transfers to social programs is $3.5 billion.

Finance committee  That is difficult to determine since it is an envelope for social programs. It is up to the provinces to decide where to allocate the funding based on needs in social programs and education. For the Province of Quebec, the total envelope is roughly $800 million. We are asking for some flexibility with respect to social programs.

Finance committee  We are currently asking for $3.5 billion, an amount based the cuts that were made in the wake of the Axworthy reform. If we consider the cuts, the increases and the two transfers that were made in 2009-10, $10.853 billion will have been given to all the Canadian provinces in transfers for social programs.

Finance committee  Indeed, investments were made, but if we consider the cuts in 1994 and the two investments that have been made, including one that was dedicated and another that was calculated in the total amount, we should have asked for $4.2 billion. We decreased our request to $3.5 billion and all the social groups agree on that number.

Finance committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair, honourable members, and distinguished participants of this pre-budgetary consultation. Before I begin, I would like to introduce Lysiane Boucher, federal and international affairs coordinator for the Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec. My name is Jean Grégoire, and I am the president of the FEUQ.